Little Boxes
by Miss48
Summary: A/U:Rachel has always known her place in society, though she might not agree with it. Until one man changed everything!
1. Chapter 1

Hello and welcome to my newest story! Who's excited?

A/N: This is story takes place in the 1950s so it's important to remember gender and racial roles when reading this story. If you are unfamiliar with the 1950s google 50s Housewives and you will get tons of interesting information.I thought it would be interesting to see the struggles of a strong independent woman like Rachel facing a society she doesn't feel she fits in with. Also because of the the views of society at the time some of the character traits will be a bit OCC.

Also I own nothing but the ideas in the story!

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><p>Summer of 1952<p>

Rachel was trapped. Not in a purely physical sense but mentally and emotionally trapped none-the-less. The problem was she shouldn't feel this way, it went against everything she had been raised to believe was right. Not just her families expectations but the expectations of society as whole. She was a woman, she knew her role like the back of her hand. It was everywhere she looked, how to be a good wife, how to provide a good home for the hardworking men of America. She had everything a young woman aspires to have, the American dream, that so many hope to achieve, people would die for the dream. But Rachel didn't feel like she was living a dream, or at least not her dream, she was living the dream that had been forced upon her all her life. She had all the elements, the cute little ranch with the picket fence and manicured lawn, the doting husband who provided for her financially though a bit lacking in physical romance. She felt something brush her leg and looked down, a small white puppy looking up at her, she even had the dog. The only thing Rachel Berry didn't have was the 2.5 kids, though there was no lack of trying. In truth, every month her period showed up right on time, and every month she breathed a sigh of relief. Rachel didn't want children yet, she was 21 years old, she had so much living to do. But Rachel could never say these things, her husband and her mother would never understand that. So instead she waits in fear every month, hoping she will be graced another month out of mommy prison. Rachel bent down and pet the small dog, a birthday present from her husband, before turning her attention back to the window. Her jail cell, a custom built ranch in a growing suburban neighborhood, was like all the others on the block. Her neighbors were all like her, or how she appeared to be outwardly, working husbands and devoted housewives with children running around their legs. The houses were all bright and well kept, the lawns manicured to an inch of their lives, the wives and children dressed in their best when they ventured out.

In the beginning this was what she thought she wanted, or maybe she just thought she could learn to accept it. She happily designed the house she now felt held her imprisoned in it's walls, she picked the plot in the neighborhood, hell she even had her future children's names picked out. But Rachel was no housewife, not inside and everyday she realized that more and more. That's not to say that Rachel didn't want to be married, she loved Jesse, she did but she wanted her own life outside their home too. Rachel had always been outgoing, always had that spark that only certain people possess. Raised in an upscale Columbus neighborhood by her mother and father, she grew up watching the silver screen legends of the 1940s, beautiful Hollywood starlets and their leading men and she aspired to be like them. To have this beautiful fantasy life that didn't include dinner, diapers and desperation. The desperation scared her the most because it wasn't just an assumption, she had seen it first hand. She saw it in her mother, and her friends and part of her felt they were weak, her mother especially. Rachel didn't want to spend her days taking care of a man and children while he went out and saw the world. She wanted to see the world too, she wanted them to see it together and she wanted romance. Her mother's relationship with her father wasn't outwardly romantic, she never saw them kiss or be affectionate, especially after her "Uncle Leroy" moved in when she was a teenager. As Rachel became an adult she began to realize that maybe "Uncle Leroy" was more than just a good friend of her Dads but that was not something dignified people talked about. Rachel would never admit it to anyone but she felt it made her a little more unique to have a gay father. Rachel wanted passion and desire in her life, not this everyday monotony she found herself in. Her parents never outright encouraged her to dream big but they let her, while she was young and she was pretty sure that is partially what led her to this current dilemma. They put her in ballet and let her sing in the Community Choir, as well as being an active member of the Columbus Theater League. She was good, naturally talented and reveled in the attention that she got from her performances. She thought she was working towards her end goal, her dream but she had been wrong. In her parents minds, they were preparing her to be a well rounded and poised woman. Someone who was interesting, dignified and would be able to ultimately snag the attentions of a good man. In her mind she was going to be the next Bette Davis or Rita Hayworth, she was going to play opposite leading men like Humphrey Bogart. She wanted to go to Hollywood or New York and live in the spotlight, she wanted to be somebody and be loved by all. She was pretty sure a part of her always knew that the dreams she harbored growing up were nothing more than that though, dreams of a young woman who hadn't faced the real world yet.

Rachel had always known she would get married and have a couple of children but she didn't expect to do so so early in her life. Her real world came in the form of one Jesse St. James and he changed everything she ever thought was possible. She met Jesse when she was a senior in high school and was pretty sure her mother's influence had a lot to do with their chance meeting. Jesse was a few years older, handsome, charming, articulate and treated her like a queen. He would show up at the school and bring her flowers, he would write her notes of love and hope and leave them in her locker at the school. He was the first boy to make her feel loved and he told her all the time what an amazing woman she was. He romanced her with dates and presents and she fell hard for the charming blond. The first time he kissed her she felt like she could float away on a cloud, it was her first real kiss and feeling his lips upon hers was like nothing she ever imagined. When he asked her to marry him after she graduated she happily accepted his proposal. The giddy, in love, part of her thought she was making the best decision of her life, her parents agreed. Jesse wasn't as exciting as she had previously thought though, don't get her wrong, he was a good guy who treated her like his queen but he was just that…..good. She didn't deny that she loved him in her own little way but it wasn't that strong, all encompassing feeling she had expected, before they even made it down the aisle her feelings had cooled off a little. Before she knew it though she was leaving Columbus for the suburbs of Lima, Ohio. 10 years ago all this had been rolling farmland, now it was a new community of married young couples and families. It was all bright and new, the houses all looked the same as schools, parks and businesses popped up all around her. In the beginning she was excited and ready for this new venture but within six months she hated it. She was a city girl, she feel comfortable and at piece in the city and she missed the hustle and bustle of life. The noises and smells of a city alive and teeming with human energy. The suburbs were nice, quiet and safe, every year brought new families to the neighborhood. Families that were looking for what she already had, the American dream.

Rachel had spent the last week watching the house across the street go up, watching the young workers diligently lay foundation, frame the house and start dry walling. The house was like all the others, a simple ranch just like hers. She didn't know much about the couple that were building the house except they were her age, newly married and quite blond from what she had heard. But it wasn't just the house itself that drew her attention, it was the young men building the house. They were a sight to see; buff tan skin shining in the hot summer sun, jean clad and topless, some had tied their shirts around their heads. They were easy going, laughing and joking with each other and Rachel found herself to be jealous of them, of their gender and the freedom that enabled them. Men didn't have the strict societal rules that women did and she wished she had the chance to just be who she was, no rules or guidelines. She found herself watching them increasingly more every day. At first it was all innocent, she was just interested in the house going up across the street but then she got drawn in by the people doing the building. Two of them in particular caught her interest, tall and handsome, they reminded her of the leading men from her favorite movies or even her romance novels. They were her guilty pleasure, she loved to read those smutty little books and pretend that there was a chance for a life far more exciting and riveting than her own. The one man was taller than the other, both with strong buff bodies, muscles rippling as they worked, their skin tanned a deep brown. Rachel often had to chastise herself for these thoughts, she was a married woman after all and here she was drooling over some boy or boys. Her boys (when did she start calling them that?) appeared to be the ones in charge. They were her age, maybe a little older and she often thought about what their lives were like. Did they have families of their own, wives or children? They were a different breed of men than the kind her husband was, the kind she was raised with. Jesse was well put together and poised while these guys were rough around the edges and gritty. Rachel could read people and these men, they interested her more than they should. It was like she had some strange physical pull towards them. Rachel sighed and pushed herself away from the window, her connection to the outside world, though more symbolically than anything because she could just walk outside whenever she wanted. She glanced at the clock, it was 3:30 and Jesse would be getting off the train and then it was back to her real world.

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><p>"Rachel" Jesse's voice was smooth and comforting as he came into the foyer, removing his jacket as she flitted into the room dressed to the nines in a shimmering blue cocktail dress. It was one of her many dinner dresses and she felt kind of silly dressed to the nines in her own home but her mother always told her to make sure she looked good for her husband. That he had to work hard all day long, travel back and forth on a train and deal with difficult people so he should walk into a tidy home and a put together wife every night. Rachel though that sounded a little unfair, she was working just as hard to keep the house in perfect working order, to make a dinner that was delicious and to do it all while looking like a perfect lady.<p>

"Darling, your home" she walked up to him placing a soft kiss on his cheek.

He didn't return the kiss but did run his eyes over her briefly. Her hair was tightly pulled back in a French twist, her make-up freshly reapplied and she smelled like lavender and honey. He smiled down at her as she took Jesse's jacket from him with her left hand, hanging it on the hook behind the door as he walked into the living room. He sat down and opened the newspaper she had left out for him, his eyes raking over the days news as Rachel followed him into the room handing him an icy Gin and Tonic. She sat gingerly on the edge of the ottoman near his feet and removed his shoes, placing them neatly beside his chair as he sipped his drink. She stood, smoothing out her dress and looked down at her husband.

"Dinner will be ready in 5 minutes."

"Excellent" he looked up at her "What will we be having?"

"Meatloaf" she smiled back.

"God I hope it's not that awful fake meat you like to eat so much. I don't know why you insist on not eating meat, the animals were meant to be eaten by us, survival of the fittest"

"No it's real meat" she smiled.

"Good. Silly girl with her fake meat" he laughed looking back towards the newspaper.

For dinner they sat across from each other at the large oak table they had bought out of the Sears catalog, she remembered how fun it was picking out furniture for their new home. Rachel didn't really eat the meatloaf, just pushed it around the plate as she gingerly ate the veggies she made to go with it. They ate in silence for a few minutes before Rachel cleared her throat softly. Jesse's eyes dragged up from his plate and a smile crossed his lips as he looked at his wife.

"Is everything alright Jesse?" she asked softly.

"It's great, as usual. I do think it was your cooking that helped you catch me"

She laughed gingerly and looked back towards her own plate, the smell of the meat was making her a little sick to her stomach.

"You look lovely as usual" He said sipping his beverage.

"Why thank you dear, but enough about me. Tell me about your day?"

Jesse went into some long spiel about his day at the firm, he commuted to Columbus by train. He worked in advertising for Adler, Efron and Fuerst, handling the new media of television advertising. The firm was huge and handled the majority of ads in central Ohio. Honestly, Rachel found the whole thing to be completely boring. He worked 8 hours a day, at a desk, coming up with jingles and skits for commercials. Jesse thought he was a hot shot, in his expensive suits and his flashy new car. Rachel listened intently to his story, smiling when he spoke of his achievement and commenting on how brilliant he was. She was the picture of a perfect wife but honestly she could really care less. Dinner continued on like this, like it did every night, he never asked about her day but then again, she never expected him to.

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><p>Later that night, after the dishes were done and all remains of dinner had been cleaned up, Rachel retired to bed. She wasn't even tired but Jesse had gone up stairs well over half and hour ago and she figured he would be waiting for her. She took her time in the bathroom, removing the sparkling dress and pulling on her nightgown. She pulled the clip from her hair letting her brown tresses fall to frame her face and wiped the make-up from her porcelain skin. She took much longer than needed to prepare herself for bed, gliding across the room when she was done and slipping in the bed. Jesse didn't even look over, he just continued to read the paper. She wondered how he could spend the entire night reading the newspaper, it was Lima there was not much exciting going on. Rachel rolled over in bed and draped her arm around Jesse's thin frame. She put her lips to the skin under his ear as her hand drifted south. He caught her wrist as he put the papers down and looked at her. He shook his head and slid her arm back towards her own body<p>

"Not tonight love, I have a big day tomorrow" he said clicking off his light leaving his wife hanging.

Rachel rolled on her back fighting back tears. What kind of man can turn down the advances of a woman who he loved so much. Truthfully Rachel didn't even care that much about the sex it was the point more than anything. Intercourse with Jesse was stagnant and boring, there was no spontaneity or passion. Not that Jesse was a real compelling sort of guy, he liked things planned and organized and he liked to make the decisions. It's hard to be spontaneous on a schedule. Then again she didn't have anything to compare it to, other than her romance novels, she didn't know if people really acted that way in real life situations. Jesse had been the first and only person that she had sexual relations with and it was nothing like her books. Her mother always forbid her to read the books because she said they set unrealistic views and put women in a degrading light. Rachel was hooked on the idea of women as more than just wives and mothers.

_She remembered the time she tried to be a little more daring. They were in the heat of the moment and she decided she wanted to try to be on top, she started to swing her leg over his lap and he shot up straight in the bed. There she was, hovering over him naked with her long hair flowing around her face and he was gaping at her like she was some strange foreign person._

_"What are you doing" he gasped pushing her gently away from him "We don't do this, this is the kind of relations that people of a lower class have. You are not a woman of the night, you are my dignified wife."_

_"I just wanted to try something new" she had said softly._

_"Somethings are better left alone, I like things the way they are" he said rolling over and shutting off the light._

_And just like that, the conversation and the sex was over._

Rachel shook the memory from her mind and rolled over pulling the blankets to her neck. What was she doing? She had a good life, a nice home, a good husband. Jesse was a good man, he provided a very comfortable lifestyle for her. He was caring and attentive, he might live by societies standards but she couldn't blame him for that. And she knew he loved her, there was no doubt about that, he was a good husband. And she loved him, she did, he was the first boy she ever loved and she was certain that she would never not love him._  
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	2. Chapter 2

"Puck" Finn shouted from where he was sitting up on the roof.

Finn Hudson and Noah Puckerman had been friend's their entire lives. Finn couldn't remember a time when Puck, as they called him, wasn't in his life. Sometimes though Finn wanted to strangle the life out of him. They were already behind schedule on this house, another in the long line of identical suburban ranches, and yet Finn couldn't get Puck to concentrate. He was leaning over the fence adjourning the house, shirt off and stuck in the back pocket of his jeans. The young woman seemed happy to just have someone pay attention to her and Puck was good at paying attention to suburban housewives. Finn was shocked he didn't have a trail of husbands chasing after him but then again, their wives were little more than there property anyway. Suburbia scared the crap out of Finn, the perfect homes, the perfect lawns and the perfect wives. Finn had to shake his head to get the image of blond robots out of his head.

"Puckerman" he said louder getting annoyed.

Finn threw his hammer at Puck's feet, making sure not to hit him. Puck looked over his should and flashed him a shit eating grin before turning back to the young woman. Granted she was pretty, tall and thin with long red hair and bright green eyes, but she was somebody else's woman, someone else's wife. Finn didn't feel comfortable messing around with another man's wife. While he didn't agree with this stupid suburban lifestyle, he thought women were more than objects to keep the house and watch the children, he still respected the sanctity of marriage. Finn wiped the sweat from his brow and scanned the neighborhood, it looked like every other western Ohio suburb. He would never leave the city for this, he loved the spark of energy a city had. Sure this might be a perfect and safe place to raise children but he needed more than library's and parks to really feel like he was living. He and Puck had been born and raised in Dayton by single mothers. They had bonded over that when they were younger and tried to use it to their advantage as teenagers. Neither of them had a male influence in the house growing up and the idea of a world where the Moms stay home to raise the children was foreign to them. Finn's mother was a nurse and worked long hours to support him, she wasn't home much and he had learned to accept that. Puck's mother on the other hand worked at a gentleman's club, she said she made more money and the men were less sleazy, but it didn't make things any better for Puck. His respect for women was at about a zero, he saw them as sexual objects and treated them as such. When Finn was 16 his mother got re-married and Finn got his very own step-brother. Kurt and Finn didn't like the idea at first, they didn't get along and Finn was pretty sure his life was being ruined. Albeit, he was a little dramatic at 16 and soon out grew that. He and Kurt got along great now, they were not friends, they were brothers and harbored that sort of relationship.

After high school Burt had wanted Finn to go to college, but Finn had other plans, military plans. Kurt was going to some fancy school in New York City to study Fashion Management or something like that and tried to get Finn to come along but Finn wasn't interested in going all the way to NY. Finn was pretty positive that Kurt was flaming gay but that was not something people spoke about. Finn hoped someday Kurt could just be who he really was, he hoped they all could. After the devastation of the war Finn felt like people were over compensating, that they were trying to make everything to perfect. So what, so women had to go out and get jobs to support themselves during the war, was that really such a bad thing? The women he knew didn't seem to mind to much and were angry when the men returned home and took their jobs back, banishing women once again to their homes. Sure women held some jobs, they were nurses, secretaries, telephone operators and teachers, but mostly it was young unmarried women or older widowed or divorced women. In this world they lived in once a woman married, her job became internal and most were okay with that.

Puck and Finn both enlisted in the US Air Force at 18 and were both honorably discharged at 19 after doing one tour overseas. Finn didn't like to discuss the things he saw on that mission and he buried them deep inside of himself. Once back to civilian life Puck and Finn decided to capitalize on the growing suburbs and decided to open their own contracting business. They had been working summers helping build houses since they were 14 for some extra cash. The transition was pretty easy, Finn handled the business side including fiancés and meeting with clients and Puck took care of the rest. Puck found a pretty solid team of guys to work for them, he got the materials and did the blueprints. When it came to building the actual house tough, they all worked together, getting their hands and other things dirty. It was working well for them too, they were good at what they did and were making some serious bread. Finn pulled his tee-shirt off and wrapped it around his forehead. It was hotter than hell out here and he really wanted to just get this roof tarped so they could head back to Dayton for the weekend. He had sent his other guys home a couple hours ago, they had been working hard all week and the August sun was relentless today. He figured another hour tops for him and Puck to tarp the exposed roof. Then that little red headed bombshell came out with her stupid lemonade and yellow sundress and Puck was a goner. Finn never knew what shocked him more, Pucks ability to hook up with so many woman or the wives eagerness to cheat on their husbands. How was that the American dream? He grumbled to himself as he saw Puck jump the fence, looking over his shoulder and making a lewd gesture with his mouth as he followed her inside. Finn shook his head glancing for the ladder, which was quite a ways down the roof. He didn't feel like shimmying down the roof so he reached below him grabbing the framing and swinging down, dropping to the ground. As he did the metal edging on the roof framing caught the inside of his forearm and Finn hissed clutching his arm as stark red blood started to make it's track towards his fingers. Finn looked down at the blood as it began to drip onto the dirt near his feet and he felt a little dizzy. It hurt like a bitch and that was a lot of blood. Finn felt a bit light-headed, he didn't deal real well with blood since he had come back from Europe, but he pulled his tee-shirt from his head and applied it to the large cut on his arm. It traveled almost cleanly from the inside of his elbow to his wrist, deeper in some places, the ground was starting to look like a blood bath. He was going to kill Puckerman when he saw him, if he survived that long, Jesus it was hot out here. He watched the blood come through the tee shirt and drip onto the ground. All the sudden he heard feet padding towards him and he was pretty certain now he was going to pass out. The sun was beating down from over head, he was sweating, his arm felt like it was on fire as blood soaked through the tee-shirt and onto his other hand. His head felt empty and he listed back a bit breathing heavily as fire tore through his arm. He pushed harder against the tee-shirt to try and stop the blood loss, it smelled metallic, it was all he could smell.

"Hey don't use that your going to get an infection" his light brown eyes shifting towards the voice.

The young woman from across the street stood before him in this pink sundress that flared out around her legs, she looked like a pink cloud and he knew he was loosing it. So much for being some big strong man, a little blood shows up and he acts like a giant baby. She reached out for him and pulled the dirty tee shirt away from the cut on his arm, assessing the damage. It was shallower up near his elbow, almost beginning to scab over but still deep and bleeding near the center of his arm.

"Come on sit" she said gesturing to a stack of wood behind him.

Once he was seated she pulled out this huge white bag and he looked up at her listing back a bit as he did. His mind was swirling, what was going on, where did she even come from. Well he knew from across the street but she was just there all the sudden touching his torn arm.

"I'm a nurse" she said softly.

He just nodded as she pulled out some stark white rags and applied pressure to his arm, she had him apply pressure to the middle part as she cleaned and covered the cut near the inside of his elbow. She put some brown liquid on the cut and it burned so much Finn almost cried out. She then took a simple white gauzy bandage and wrapped it tightly around his arm, her fingers brushing against skin as she did it. She secured it with a piece of tape and did the same around his wrist which had stopped bleeding as well, the burning brown liquid and more white gauze. He watched her intently as she worked, her attention completely on his arm, pulling the bandage tightly there as well. Then she moved up to the center part of his arm pulling the bloody bandage away and looking at the deep cut in the center of his arm. He could see his blood on her slender fingers but she didn't seem to care, she just poked and prodded at his arm. It hurt like hell as she began to pull the skin apart a little to look inside of it.

"You should probably see a doctor, I think you need stitches."

Finn shook his head, he didn't really do doctors unless it was a dire necessity. He glanced down at his arm, the bleeding was already slowing down, his blood clotting around the edges of the of the wound.

"Am I going to bleed to death?" he said realizing it was the first words he had said since she showed up.

"No" she laughed "But you are going to have a pretty nasty scar" she said gently but started to clean the area around the cut anyway.

"Eh…. Scars build character" he said with a smile.

"I still think you should see a doctor" she said as she continued to work on the wound.

She finished up pulling the bandage tighter in the center than the previous ones. Then she did one more swipe with the bandage covering the entire bandage in one smooth swipe. When she was done she busied herself putting everything back in her bag except a bottle of the brown liquid and a roll of white bandage. She set them both down beside him and then zipped her bag shut.

"Take the extra, have someone change the bandages for you tomorrow. If the one on there now bleeds through before tomorrow morning go to the doctor."

"You said I wouldn't bleed to death" he said with a smirk.

"You won't, I promise"

"Thank you Mrs…."

"St. James" she said "Rachel St. James."

He took the hand she had extended to him and shook it strongly, he could feel the cold metal of her wedding band against his thumb as he shook her left hand.

"Finn Hudson"

She was tiny compared to him, he was almost as tall as her sitting. As he looked up at her he saw how pretty she was, classic girl next door type of pretty. Long brown hair pulled back sleekly into a ponytail, deep brown eyes and a curvy feminine frame. She picked up her bag with her free hand and removed her other from his strong masculine grasp.

"It was a pleasure to meet you Mr. Hudson"

"Finn" he said evenly.

"Pardon?""Call me Finn"

She smiled one more time at him and then turned her back and started to walk away. Her dress swirled around her knees as she walked, her tiny feet making tracks in the dirt. She only went a couple feet before stopping, she stood still for a moment and turned back to Finn. The sun behind her making her appear to glow in Finn's eyes.

"You want some lunch? I can make a sandwich and I just brewed some fresh iced tea"

He watched her rubbing subconsciously at the blood he had left on her hands. He stood and walked closer to her, looking down on her with his hazel eyes. He smiled at her before speaking.

"Thanks you for the offer but I really shouldn't. I'm sure Mr. St. James would not be pleased with having a construction worker in his home alone with his beautiful wife"

She took the compliment gracefully but he saw a blush creep up her cheeks. He had the feeling this woman was not used to attention from men, or men other than her husband, whom he was sure had probably been the only man in her young life.

"Mr. St. James would want me to be gracious and kind. I'm sure he wouldn't mind me fixing lunch for a gentlemen who had just been injured."

"What would your neighbors say though" he continued.

"I don't really care. Betty Anne Moore has been entertaining your friend with the weird hair for days and I'm sure they are not eating. Well not food at least…"

She blushed then suddenly because she had spoken without thinking, something she did often. She could see Jesse's reaction now, he would have gotten red in the face and stumbled over his words as he told her how crass that was and that women didn't speak like that. He would go into yet another speel about how those romance books were corrupting her pure mind and that they were trash. Instead Finn started laughing and she was confused by his reaction a little.

"Oh man….. Your not like other women are you?"

"I will choose to take that as a compliment" she said strongly "and since you felt the need to laugh at me,,you could at least accept that sandwich."

Her hands were firmly on her hips now and she was staring at him with a look just daring him to challenge her. Thankfully the blood on her hands had dried so she wasn't ruining her dress. He was hungry, what damage could a sandwich really do.

Her house was tidy and smelled softly of flowers though he didn't see any around. Then again she smelled like flowers so maybe the house just smelled like her. It was a typical ranch style house with a connected living and dining room, a small kitchen that over looked them both and a long hallway that contained three bedrooms and the homes only bathroom. It was a little bit constricted he felt, Finn liked to design the homes he built with a little more open floor plan, it was an edgy move, straying from the classic ranch floor plan. Then again he lived in a large, open loft so he had a special place for airy rooms. He followed Rachel into the kitchen, his eyes gracing over the home as he passed. They had nice stuff, her husband must do well for them but he noticed no evidence of children. Rachel quickly busied herself cleaning her hands and then making lunch for him as he sat on a barstool watching her. She intrigued him, she didn't feel like a normal housewife to him, there was something about her that sparked. She placed a sandwich and a glass of tea in front of him before leaning back against the opposite counter watching him hungrily attack the sandwich. He placed it down on the plate chewing for a minute before swallowing and looking up at her. He had to slow himself down, he didn't want to look like a pig or anything.

"Why don't you sit down?" he asked gesturing to the chair beside him.

She hesitated a little before coming around the side of the bar and sitting gingerly on the edge of the bar stool. This was strange for her, usually when she made Jesse lunch on the weekends he would read the newspaper while she went back to doing her housework. Dinner was the only meal that they ever ate together, she made him breakfast every morning before work and only had to do lunch on the weekends. Rachel fiddled with the hem of her apron while he turned back to his sandwich, she didn't know what to do in this situation. Finn gulped down some tea and then turned towards her

"How long have you been a nurse?"

"Oh" she blushed "I only finished nursing school, Jesse didn't want me working after we were married."

"Well thank you for the help" he smiled at her.

"Oh it was nothing, I was leaving to go to the market and I saw you bleeding from the driveway. I figured a clean bandage would work better than that dirty tee-shirt."

And that was when she realized he was still topless, she hadn't even thought about it but now she could not take her eyes off him. He was tanned, muscular and had a small tattoo on his upper right bicep. It shocked her a little, tattoos were taboo a big thing with the criminal element and soldiers. Jesse always had told her to stay away from men with tattoos when they lived in Columbus, that they were the dangerous type. He was her eyes go to his shoulder and he tensed, realizing not only was he topless but he was showing this kind young housewife his tattoo. He ran a hand over it and turned back to her.

"Are you enlisted?"

"Was" he said removing his hand from his bicep "Air Force."

"Oh" She wanted to ask him what happened, how he could be out of the service already, he barely looked older than her, but that would be rude. "Well thank you for serving our country Mr. Hudson."

It fell silent in the room then as Finn finished eating. Rachel continued to fidget with her apron not sure what to really do now. Finally she said the only thing on her mind

"What's with your friends hair"

Finn laughed loudly and turned back to her.

"That's a Mohawk, or at least Puck's take on it. It was popular with the 101st Airborne Division during WW2. His cousin was an Paratrooper, died in '44 during an airstrike and Puck has been 'honoring his memory' ever since."

"His name is Puck?"

He looked at this innocent woman and had to smile at her "No, Puck is his nickname. Noah Puckerman is what's on his birth certificate."

"Mmmm, I prefer Noah. It's a good name" she smiled.

"I will be sure to tell him that" Finn laughed.

Rachel realized that these men had seen things in life, they had lived, were living and it made her stomach flutter. Finn stood then taking his plate and cup to the sink and rinsed them off before she could stop him. He tilted his head towards the door and she escorted him out.

"Sorry to eat and run, but thanks for everything" Finn said tipping his head towards his arm.

"It was nothing really" she placed a hand on his bare bicep and quickly retracted it. "I couldn't let you bleed to death now could I?"

"It was a pleasure to meet you Mrs. St. James"

"The pleasure was mine" she started.

He took a few steps away from her when he heard her call his name. He turned back to look at her standing in her doorway with a smile on her face.

"Oh and Finn, please call me Rachel."


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: This is sort of a buffer chapter. Some good stuff is coming! Review and let me know your with me!

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><p>"Thought you didn't mess with housewives Hudson" he heard Puck snicker from somewhere below him.<p>

It was Monday morning and the sun was even more relentless than it had been the week before. If they were not so far behind on getting this house framed he would have told everyone to take the day off, well except for Puck who owed him some major hours. Apparently Puck felt romancing housewives was part of his job description. This project was starting to become a hassle, first the relentless rain when they were trying to lay the foundation and then the oppressive heat of the last two weeks. Plus the wife, a smoking hot blond with a killer body, was a real bitch. They had to tear down the internal walls twice because she didn't like the layout of the rooms. Finn slid to the edge of the roof and looked down below at Puck who was looking across the street to where Rachel was hurrying across her yard in their direction. She was dressed in simple green halter dress with yellow flowers. It was kind of a daring choice for a housewife, they usually covered their arms a bit more. Finn decided to take the ladder this time, dropping to the ground from the 3rd rung.

"I don't" Finn said standing next to Puck as Rachel approached the two men.

"Sure" Puck laughed taking a drag from his cigarette "She's got a smoking bod though, I will give you that."

"Don't talk about her like that" he snapped back.

"Geez, got it bad for Mrs. Cleaver already?"

"Seriously Puck shut it" Finn snapped as Rachel got closer.

"Well if your not interested in that, it's okay, because I sure as hell am".

"Shut up Puck geez" Finn said as she came to a stop in front of them.

"Good Morning Mr. Hudson, Mr. Puckerman" she smiled proudly at having remembered.

"Good Morning Mrs. St. James" Finn said with a confused smile, he wasn't sure why she was here.

They stood there staring at each other for a minute, neither one making the first move to pull their attention away. Finally Finn remembered his manners and realized that he was standing here staring at her like he wanted to devour her. Which part of him kind of did. He jerked his eyes away and cleared his throat, the sudden movement breaking her trance like glare.

"Noah Puckerman, this is Rachel St. James" Finn said as Rachel held out one dainty manicured hand in Puck's direction.

Puck brought the hand to his lips running them over the back of her palm and smiling at her "It is a pleasure to meet you Mrs. St. James."

Finn saw red in that moment, it was an irrational emotion but he couldn't help it, he didn't want Puck touching her in anyway. He shoved Puck gently away from her and Puck shot him a knowing glance. She fanned his cigarette smoke away from her face with her hand

"That is a horrible habit Mr. Puckerman" she said.

Puck just rolled his eyes but he squashed the cigarette out with his toe.

"What can we do for you today Mrs. St. Jam…." Finn saw her staring at him "I, mean Rachel."

"I just came to check on my patient" she said in a soft feminine voice.

It was her fake voice, she had practiced it over the years, trying to sound feminine and reserved. Rachel had a tendency to be loud and opinionated, not traits that most men liked in their wives. Beside him Finn heard Puck snicker and Finn shot him a glare. He had explained the situation to Puck when he had finally emerged last Friday but Puck of course chose to assume there was more to the story than Finn told him. With Puck there was always more to the story, females and friendship didn't usually go hand and hand. Not that he was friends with Rachel, not really, she was just a kind woman trying to help him out.

"Oh, did you guys play doctor?" Puck smirked.

"Lemme see?" she said holding her hand out in his direction ignoring Puck.

He held out his bandaged arm and she recoiled a little. He had changed the bandage Saturday morning like she had told him to, or more correctly his friend Santana had while complaining the whole time but he had not changed it since then. He had been tarring and shingling this roof since early this morning and the bandage showed evidence of that.

"Gross Finn" she said "You really need to do a better job keeping this clean. It's going to get infected"

"Yeah Finn" Puck snickered and Finn wanted to punch him in the face.

"Sorry Rachel, I don't exactly keep my hands clean in this job. I tell you what, Puck and I will stop over before we leave this evening and you can clean it up if you want" He said softly, tipping his head down in her direction.

"WHAT?" Puck gasped

Finn turned and looked at him with a smile. He knew Puck had some hot date to get back to in Dayton and it was a good hour ride from suburban Lima. Puck had no interest bullshitting with housewives unless he was getting something in return. Finn had no problems cockblocking Puck when it suited him. They had that kind of relationship, they were like brothers more than anything else.

"Sounds like a date" she said without thinking. "Mr. Puckerman, it was a pleasure" she said sarcastically.

"Likewise" Puck smirked back.

They stood there shoulder to shoulder watching her retreating form jog up her driveway, her dress bouncing around her perfect bottom. They both cocked their heads to the side to appreciate the beauty of it for a minute. They were proud to be men, to be able to appreciate the beauty of the softer sex.

"She's an animal isn't she?" Puck finally spoke.

Finn turned towards him and punched him as hard as he could with his left fist, landing squarely on his shoulder. Puck shrugged the punch off and simple just strolled away, complete with a shit eating grin gracing his rough features. Finn smiled when he knew Puck could no longer see him. He was actually happy to see Rachel again, there was just something about her, she intrigued him.

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><p>Rachel was nervous, her hands were sweating and she had a fluttering feeling in her stomach. She wasn't really sure what she was doing, she was married, happily at least on the outside. And yet here she was, pacing around her house stopping only to look out the window and see how they were doing across the street. She was hoping they would pack it up for the day soon, she wanted to see Finn again, even if that brash jerk tagged along with him. Finn and Puck seemed so different to her and yet they worked so well together, it was a relationship that peeked her interest. She had never met two more vibrant characters in her life, it was like they fed off each other perfectly. Finn was the kind and gentle giant where Puck was the outrageous rebel. Rachel heard a knock on the door and she jumped three feet in the air. She glanced across the street to see Finn and Puck on the roof still with a shaggy blond and a young Asian man. She scurried to the door and opened it to see Betty Anne Moore standing in doorway, hands on her hips, her red hair flowing freely over her shoulder.<p>

"Mrs. Moore" Rachel began venom in her voice "to what do I owe the pleasure."

"May I come in?" she said softly.

Rachel sighed stepping aside to let the woman into her home. Betty Anne breezed in, dressed in a gaudy looking orange gown that clashed with her hair color. Betty Anne looked around her home with contempt even though she had been in the house numerous times before. Jesse and her husband Philip were good friends, played golf together on weekends and rode the train together during the week. Philip was cocky and arrogant and Rachel did not understand how the man had so many friends.

"Can I help you with something Betty?" Rachel was growing annoyed.

"Just wanted to have little girl chat" she said sitting uncomfortably on the edge of the dining room chair.

Rachel just stared at her, was she fucking kidding? They barely got along for their husbands sakes, Betty made it a point to insult Rachel every chance she got and yet here she was, sitting at her table playing buddy-buddy.

"I don't really have time for girl chat so if there is something I can help you with that would be really great" Rachel said not moving from the spot.

"So how about those construction workers. The tall one is kinda dreamy huh" she said with a smirk in her voice.

Rachel's mouth almost literally fell open. This woman was digging for information on her, she could feel it, she must have seen Finn come out of her house Friday evening. Rachel had no idea what her intention was with this, other than simply getting the neighborhood rumor mill flowing, but she was not getting involved in Betty Anne Moore's tangled web of deceit or whatever it was. Betty Anne was the farthest thing from faithful to her husband, and while that was more commonplace than you would like to believe, Betty Anne wasn't discreet about it either. There had been the mailman, the milk man, that young man going door to door for religious acceptance and even the traveling sales guy. Betty's panties were like a revolving door of infidelity.

"Okay, enough! I'm busy, you need to leave" Rachel was not having this conversation with this woman.

"Well you don't need to be rude" she said with a snotty tone.

Rachel simply walked over to the door and opened it, nodding her head in the direction to indicate where exactly she wanted Betty Anne to go. Betty took her damn sweet time walking out of her house and Rachel stood watching as the her as she scurried across the street brushing against Puck, who was now standing at his truck, as she went. She watched Finn grab his arm and pull him back as he started to follow the woman. Rachel shook her head and turned back into her house. She pushed the door shut behind her and was startled when it bounced back open. She turned to see Finn and Puck filling up her doorframe.

"Come on in?" she smiled at them as they past into the threshold.

She shot a glance back at Betty who was standing on her porch, arms across her body, her mouth hanging open. She knew the rumor mill would be running rapid tomorrow but so be it. It was time for Rachel Berry to live a little. Because inside that's who she still was, Rachel Berry, the dreamer.

"My God" Puck shouted loudly from his seat on the barstool. "It's a shame your married because this pie would make me give it all up for a little monogamy. This pie is better than sex."

Rachel laughed and Finn shook his head, there was no way Puck was interested in monogamy, pie or no pie. In the last couple hours Rachel had changed and cleaned Finn's bandage, made the guys an early dinner and threw a pie in the oven. The time seemed to fly when they were together, she was pretty sure she had not laughed this hard or this genuinely since she left Columbus. Jesse and his friends, their friends, were kind of square. Everything in her life was a little square, at least it was until she met these two interesting guys. She had bombarded them with questions about their business while she worked in the kitchen. She wanted to hear about all of the stuff they saw in their travels and it riveted her.

"Thank you for the compliment Noah" Rachel smiled at him.

Though he was a bit crass in his words, it felt good to have a compliment every so often.

"So have you guys ever been to New York City? Or Las Angeles?" she asked excitedly.

"My brother lives in NY, he's attending some fashion school" Finn said shoving pie into his mouth.

Rachel had to admit their table manners lacked quite a bit but she could live with that. She was so used to everyone being to tight and these guys were loose.

"A guy….. In fashion school?" Rachel choked on her coffee.

"Yeah he's a little….." Finn started.

"Queer" Puck said and Rachel whipped her head around.

She shot him a look of disgust and turned back to Finn intrigued now.

"Is he out? Like open?" She whispered as if someone else could overhear her.

"No, but I know my brother. He's always been a fruit and I'm okay with that" Finn said pushing the plate away from him as he finished the pie.

It was quiet for a while as Puck continued to work on his pie and Finn watched Rachel intently. She was pacing now and it intrigued Finn, it was like she had something on her mind all the sudden. She finally stilled in front on him and turned back to Finn slowly.

"I think my Dad is a homosexual"

Puck's fork clanged loudly against his plate as he dropped it. His mouth open and food particles visible in his mouth. It was disgusting and Rachel wrinkled her nose at him.

"Shut your mouth Puckerman, geez" Finn said

"Your dad is a Fruit?" Puck said instead of just shutting his mouth.

She snapped her head around and he actually visibly shrunk back in his seat a little.

"Sorry" he mumbled.

"Why do you think your Dad is homosexual?" Finn finally spoke, he had to work this one over in his mind a little.

"Oh, I guess I've always known really. He and my mother are not affectionate at all and my father is very well versed in the performing arts. He just doesn't give off the same vibe as most of his friends did. He's always been a little better dressed, a little better…..spoken I guess" she began.

"That doesn't make him a homo thought" Puck said.

"True, but when I was 16 he moved his friend Leroy in. 'Uncle Leroy' and my father were very affectionate and….. " her voice trailed off.

"What?" Finn and Puck said at the exact same time.

"I saw him come out of my dad's room one night, it was very late"

"Oh" Puck said because that was all the proof he needed.

Rachel heard a click at the door then and froze. She glanced at the clock and the wall and realized it was only 5pm. Jesse was almost an hour early coming home from work and he hadn't phoned to say he would god she had remembered to put dinner in the oven while she had been chatting with the guys. Finn and Puck shot up and she quickly hurried from the room to greet her husband.

"What now?" Puck hissed to Finn, as much as he enjoyed housewives, he was not a fan of their husbands.

Finn shrugged, deep in thought.

"Welcome home Darling" they heard Rachel's voice, it sounded fake to Finn. "Your early, what a nice surprise. Dinner isn't ready yet but it will be soon."

"What are you wearing?" was Jesses response.

"It's a sundress Jesse."

"It's a little informal for dinner don't you think. And must you show off that much arm. You are not a harlot my dear. I don't like the dress, please get rid of it."

"Finn" Puck hissed at him from in the kitchen "I'm going to kill you."

Finn's eyes were moving back and forth quickly as his mind worked over plans in his head. They could just run out the back door, well slip out of it.

"I thought it was nice, modern. I'm sorry I didn't have time to change. I have been entertaining some guests"

"Guests?" Jesse questioned thought he didn't look shocked.

That's when it hit Rachel. He was home early because he thought he had to be, he knew about her guests because some little birdie must have called her husband and told him so. Rachel was fuming mad, how dare that little bitch.

"You already knew that didn't you dear?" Rachel asked.

"Do not question my motives Rachel" Jesse responded.

Crap well there goes that idea Finn thought. He would love to have just slipped out into the night. He would also love to punch Jesse in the face but he couldn't do either of those things now. Then it hit Finn and he knew exactly what to do. He would use his work to get him out of this mess. Finn leaned over and whispered into Puck's ear and Puck nodded in recognition. Finn and Puck jumped to action then gathering themselves and walking towards the foyer where the St. James were still located. Finn walked into the room first and he saw Jesse freeze a little, he had been told it but part of him had not believed it.

"Finn Husdon" Finn said strongly holding out his bandaged arm. "This is my partner Noah Puckerman. We own Puckson Construction. We are working on the house across the street."

"Brilliant." Jesse began he looked ticked "What does that have to do with my wife gentlemen?"

"Mrs. St. James asked us to take a look at the kitchen, she informed us she would like some renovations"

"Renovations? The house is barely 4 years old"

Rachel just batted her eyes at him and smiled up with this full on beam. It almost stopped Finn's heart at the sheer beauty of her smile, even when it was fake.

"I will draw up some blueprints for you Mrs. St. James" Finn said turning to Jesse "Mr. St. James, it is a pleasure to have met you. I hope we will be able to work together very soon."

"Let me see those blueprints and we will discuss it" Jesse said taking control of the situation with a steady grin.


	4. Chapter 4

I apologize for any typos, this wasn't beta'd!

And as usual I own nothing but my own ideas! Reviews=Love

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><p>The two men started to leave, Finn winking at Rachel when Jesse looked away. She shot him a discreet smile before he turned completely away from her. The sky was growing dark as they started across the perfectly mowed lawn. The guys were safely halfway across the yard and breathing a sigh of relief when Finn felt a presence behind them. He turned to see Jesse standing just feet away, dressed in his simple navy blue suit, tie still tight around his neck and he looked pissed. His hands were stiff at his sides as Finn and Puck turned slowly towards him.<p>

"Gentlemen" he said comfortably.

"Mr. St. James" Puck said almost a sneer.

Finn simply nodded since he didn't want to sound like an idiot repeating what Puck already said. They stood like that assessing each other for a short time, waiting for him to speak.

"I don't know what exactly your intentions were today gentlemen. But, where we come from men do not visit with a woman when her husband is not home, especially not to handle business that is more suited to men."

"Look dude, she just wanted us to look at the kitchen" Puck was getting pissed.

"Dude? I think you mean Mr. St. James! And you will not be looking at my kitchen, or my wife again Mr. Puckerman. Same goes for you Mr. Hudson. Are we clear?"

"Whatever man, I'm not interested in your kitchen, which is poorly designed and cheaply made by the way. Or your wife" Puck said turning on his heel.

"Puck" Finn said in a low voice "Be easy."

Finn could see how tense Puck was. His arms were rigid, his muscles rippling as he flexed them, his jaw clenching.

"You are insulting me? Calling me cheap?" Jesse laughed "You?"

Finn had been silent the whole time but he realized he needed to diffuse this situation.

"I'm sorry again Mr. St. James. Lack of judgment on my part. We will just be on our way now." Finn began but Jesse was not even listening to him.

Puck and Jesse stood in a death glaring match, neither looking away, both barely blinking. Finn tugged on Puck's arm but it didn't phase him he just continued to stare.

"So what if I am St. James" Puck was louder than necessary now and the neighborhood had come out to see.

"Puck" Finn said under his breath pulling harder on his arm.

Finn could see Rachel standing on the porch, her arms folded across her chest, hollering at Jesse to come inside. Across the street Mr. and Mrs. Moore had come outside, Philip Moore was making a move in their direction but Betty Anne stayed planted firmly on the porch. The lights had flashed on in the house next door as well and Finn could see the curtain ruffle. This was getting to be a bad situation. He knew Puck's temper and apparently this Jesse guy had one of his own. In a fight though, Puck would win, hands down.

"Puck" Finn tried to pull him away from the confrontation yet again.

Puck shook him off and got closer to Jesse who was not showing any signs of backing down.

"You, and your buddy here" Jesse thumbed at Finn "Have no right to insult me. Look at what I have; my home, my community, my wife. Face it buddy, I'm top of the heap."

Jesse's arms were flailing wildly around now. Puck was advancing on him and Philip had joined into the fray. Finn just stood there because he was not getting into a shitting match with these guys while their wives and neighbors watched. This is why he hated suburbia, shit like this didn't happen in the city. Every so often he would pull Puck back away from Jesse and Philip, the only thing he wanted to do was keep Puck from beating the shit out of these pretty boys.

"You think that means something? Because you have a stupid ranch, just like every other house in this town? Because you have a job that requires no real skills? Because you have friends who are just as cookie cutter as you? Because you have a wife who is little more than your glorified maid?"

Rachel felt something snap inside her then. Noah might have been a bit much to deal with but she had never heard anyone defend a woman before. Around here they were commodities and she knew that. She was even okay with it because life is about the cards you are dealt, she was raised to be in this life. But that part inside her that wanted more than a ranch with a picket fence, 2.5 kids and a dog, was cheering Puck on.

"My wife enjoys doing those things for me, because she loves me. I'm sure you would not understand that though Mr. Puckerman" Jesse spat.

"You think I don't know about love, about what that can make a person do?"

"You know about cheap love with cheap woman I'm sure Mr. Puckerman."

"Hypocrite much? Who are you to make assumptions about my life?"

"Please buddy, it's not hard to judge the book by the cover" Philip said with a laugh in his voice.

"Do you love her?" Finn finally spoke his arms straining to hold Puck back.

Everyone stilled and glanced at Finn.

"Excuse me?" Jesse turned his attention only to Finn now.

"I said do you love her? Your wife?" Finn's crooked smirk made something in Rachel heat up.

"That is none of your business Mr. Hudson. How dare you come into my home and ask me a personal question like that in mixed company. A question that is none of your business in any way shape or form, Construction boy."

"I own that construction business" Finn said.

"And that makes you the same as me?" Jesse laughed.

"I have no interest in being the 'same as you'" Finn said his voice cold and hard.

"Don't change the subject St. James" Puck hissed.

"Shut up" Philip said to him.

"Come on St. James! Why can't you answer Finn's question" Puck sneered at him. "Is it because you don't want your precious neighbors in your precious suburb to know that you consider your wife just another one of your many assets Mr. St. James. But then again, why would they care, their wives are just property too."

That's when Philip socked Puck hard, his fist making contact with his jaw. The contact with his face sent both Puck and Finn, who was holding his arms back, stumbling backwards. Finn had to catch himself from falling completely on the ground letting Puck go. Puck lunged forward at Philip pushing him hard causing the man to stumble backwards. Rachel yelled from the porch coming out into the yard, Mrs. Moore screamed and took off across her yard in the direction of the fight. Finn wasn't sure who she was more concerned for Puck or her husband. The neighbors next store were now out in their yard and Jesse was yelling for someone to call the police. Finn had to use all his physical strength to pull Puck off of Philip. Finn was physically bigger than Puck but the man was all muscle and solid as fuck.

"Puck, come on, are kidding me right now" Finn was yelling.

"Get off him you brute" Mrs. Moore was screaming pulling on Puck's shoulder. Finn bumped her with his hip to get her out of the way. The last thing he needed was to have this woman come in contact with a stray punch.

"Call the cops, Rachel, call them now" Jesse was yelling at her wife.

"You realize you assaulted me. So please do call them" Puck was yelling as well as Finn successfully pulled him away from Philip.

"Who do you think they will believe?" Philip hissed back.

"Rachel… the police" Jesse hissed.

"I don't think that is necessary dear" Rachel said softly from behind him.

He spun around "you don't make the decisions in this house Rachel."

She started to respond when Mrs. Moore breezed past Puck, glancing back before running past her husband, who was lying on the ground still, yelling at Rachel at the top of her lungs.

"Look what you have done" she began

She was screaming about how this was all her fault, that if she had been acting like a good wife should there would never be a fight happening in their quiet neighborhood.

"Shut UP Betty Anne" Rachel said turning back to Jesse.

Betty Anne just continued to rant but Rachel just ignored her walking firmly to Jesse and grabbing his arm and tugging.

"Come on" she said as she pulled on his arm.

"Not now Rachel, this is men's business. Go back inside, call the police and make sure dinner is warm"

"Jesse" she gasped

He shook her off and she stumbled backwards and Finn had to hold himself back from running to her aid. That would just make all this worse though wouldn't it, because that's how this began, by him and Puck spending time with another man's wife. This was exactly why he never messed with housewives, why he never got involved in suburban life, why he came and went doing his business and leaving. He watch Jesse spin around and shove Rachel backwards lightly

"I said GO INSIDE" his words were firm but not loud.

"Nice way to talk to your wife Jesse" Puck hissed.

"Mind your own business jerk" Jesse began "I said go Rachel, don't make me tell you again."

A part of her wanted to push him back, to stand up for herself but everyone was staring at them and the honest to god's truth was she had to live here. With these people, with this life, with this man and a part of her was afraid of what standing up to him would mean for her. What disgrace this would mean to her family, this situation was bad enough. Good people did not have brawls in their front yards, disagreements were dealt with in the privacy of your home. This was getting completely out of hand she realized as she glanced around. Finn was straining to hold Puck back as he swung widely at Jesse, they were dirty dressed in jeans and tee-shirts, Finn's hair was complete mess. Puck's jaw was turning an ugly shade of purple as blood trickled from his lip. Finn was trying to drag Puck away from the situation, clearly more stable than his friend. Jesse and Philip were directly in front of her, their suits were rumpled and ties crooked. Philip had a bleeding cut on his temple, grass stains on his shirt and his eye turning purple. Mrs. Moore was screaming and causing a scene, her red hair flying all around her face and her green dress was torn. In the next yard the Gibson's were staring at the commotion a look of disgust and confusion on their faces. A small child was being shielded behind their bodies.

"EVERYONE STOP" Rachel yelled loudly using her full voice.

Everyone froze. Jesse looked horrified that his wife was being so loud and unladylike and everyone else was just stunned.

"Rachel, what is wrong with you?" Jesse said "This is no way for a woman to act. I insist that you go back inside and fix yourself up."

She kind of wanted to spit in his eye, push him down and run away. The rebel inside her was dying to break out but the well raised woman she was was stronger.

"Only if you come with me" she said in a low voice.

"Rachel" he started.

"Jesse…. Is this who we are now? We get in fights with…" she took a deep breath not wanting to say the words but she had to end this "construction workers? People of a lower class than we are? We fight in the street now with our neighbors watching. I'm embarrassed by this and I'm embarrassed by you. You realize this makes you just like them" she points at Finn and Puck, who had finally calmed down.

She looked over to the Moore's "Please go home, clean yourselves up and finish your dinner. I am sorry you felt you needed to get involved in this but this doesn't concern you. And you" she took a deep breath shifting her attention to Puck and Finn.

"Get off my property and please do not come back. I'm not interested in your business and I hope to never have to see you again. This is a nice neighborhood, we are nice people and you do not belong here."

Finn looked hurt but Puck just looked pissed.

"You know what robot…. Your right. And to think I thought you were different" Puck said turning back to the truck. "Oh and Mr. Moore, your wife is killer in the sack"

Finn heard the gasps as he followed Puck to the truck, looking back once to see Rachel slide her arm around Jesse's waste and walk back to the comfort of their home. On the porch she took a moment to look over her shoulder and send Finn a small smile before shutting the door behind Jesse and shutting off the light. Finn was pretty sure that was the last time he would lay eyes on Mrs. Rachel St. James.

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><p>"Signed, sealed and delivered Hud" Sam said coming into Finn's office.<p>

He tossed a envelope down on the table in front of him and Finn took it looking back up at Sam for explanation.

"We finished the Lima house, that's the final payment" Sam explained.

It had been 3 weeks since the altercation in the front yard at the St. James house and Finn had never been more embarrassed or miserable in his entire life. He was not the type of guy to get in shitting matches with snobby jerks and his mother would beat him if she ever found out. And even worse what had happened had been completely and totally unprofessional, Finn did not conduct his business like this. After what had happened Finn decided it would be a bad idea for them to return to the house. They had sent the rest of the crew to finish the house in Lima with Sam at the helm and hopefully they got it done to usual Hudson standards. Finn could careless if he ever saw Lima, Ohio or it's stuck-up residents again. Well all but one, Rachel St. James was the only thing on his mind and she had been the only thing on his mind this entire time. Puck tried to snap him out of it, talking about how she had insulted them, she had made her choice and all that shit. But really what had he expected would happen, that she would just run across the yard and leap into his arms. That he even wanted that scared him, she was not his wife, she wasn't anything to him. When Puck couldn't get through to him his rag-tag roommates tried everything but none of them could break his mood. He felt like a part of him was missing without being able to glance across the yard and see Rachel flitting around his house. Being able to hear her laugh over lunch as she sparred with Puck. Two days, a few hours and he felt like he lost someone who had been apart of his life since the beginning of time.

"Also Dave Karofsky is here to see you" Sam said.

Finn nodded and put the blueprint that he had been working on down and went out into the larger waiting room. Dave Karofsky's hulking form was sitting in a chair looking at the news paper. He looked up when he saw Finn approach him and put the paper down.

"Finny" Dave said loudly rising to his feet and clapping him on the back.

Finn hugged the man and stepped back smiling "How the heck are you shithead?"

Finn and Dave had went to high school together and played on the football team together. Dave was sort of a bully in high school but time had changed him and he had grown to be a pretty good guy. They had ran into each other after he got out of the Air Force and they caught up over beers at the local dive bar. Finn was actually happy to have the guy in his life, he needed as many friends as he could get. It helped keep the creeping loneliness at bay.

"I can't complain" Dave laughed

"What can I do for you today?" Finn asked.

"I actually have two jobs for you" Dave began as Puck came in the room. "And you guys are the best."

"You fucker" Puck laughed hugging the other man.

"Nice to see Hudson is still keeping you around. Keeps you off the streets and away from our wives" Dave laughed.

"You know that ain't true" Puck laughed as they all took a seat.

"So what are these jobs?"

"Well firstly Quinn would like some updating done to the hotel lobby, penthouse and restaurant" Dave began.

Dave had married Quinn Fabray right out of high school. The ironic thing was Finn had taken his fair share of romps in the sheets with Quinn back in high school. They had been quite an item, a power couple if you will, but Quinn wanted to settle down after high school and that was not for Finn. He was shocked that she took it so well but he guessed that she just understood him. He was a lone wolf and all that shit, so he and Puck took off for the military life and Quinn found herself in the attention of Dave Karofsky. Finn had been a little shocked to find out the two had gotten married after barely a month of dating. Quinn wanted to settle down and for some reason Dave had no problem giving her exactly what she wanted. Of course, Quinn Fabray was hard to say no to, and she knew it. The woman was smoking hot. The Karofsky's had inherited his grandfather's hotel in Columbus right after they were married. It was an upscale hotel that served a lot of traveling business men and the Karofsky's had been taking up residence in the penthouse.

"I think we can handle that bro, the place is in need of a little modernization" Puck said.

"What is the other job"

"Well Quinn is pregnant" Dave said evenly.

"That sounds more like your job than ours man. We ain't no babysitting service, we don't do diapers" Puck laughed.

"Oh congrats man" Finn said, the idea of children right now scared the crap out of him.

"Yeah well she thinks we need to get out of the city. Looks like I'm going suburban guys."

He honestly looked a little terrified at the idea but he loved that woman and would do anything for her apparently. They did not have the typical marriage, Quinn worked alongside him at the hotel, she was his equal. Finn hoped if he found love one day, true love that convinced him to marry, that he would find a woman who was his equal.

"Shit man…. Suburbia" Puck said lighting a cigarette.

"Yeah" Dave shook his head "Who would have fucking thought. Hope they don't require a perfect lawn because I have no time for that shit."

Finn laughed and sent a smile in Dave's direction, the big city was loosing another good one.

"So anyway, if I have to do this, I want you guys to build me something awesome. I don't want one of those cookie cutter ranches that everyone else is going crazy about. I want something unique. I want people to know that's the Karofsky's house."

"We can do that" Finn said excitedly, he loved open ended projects.

"So where you going?" Puck flicked his cigarette on the floor and Finn shot him a look. "Avon Lake, Bay Village, Olmstead Falls?"

Dave shook his head "No, Quinn saw this little town a few months back and fell in love with it. It's all I freaking hear about anymore" Dave laughed.

"Yeah?"

"Lima" Dave said with a smile.


	5. Chapter 5

Fall of 1952

Finn loved diners! There was some appeal to a place that just felt like home. In fact, it was probably the only thing he loved about Lima, Ohio. It was a dingy little place on the Westside of Lima but the food was orgasmic. In fact this homemade food was the closest thing to an orgasm he'd had for a while. Puck and Finn had been splitting their time between Columbus and Lima working long hours on the Karofsky projects. For two months, they had put all their attention and manpower on the jobs, and it was nice to work with someone he had a rapport with. Karofsky had insisted on putting them up while they worked on the projects, Finn had tried to object, the man was paying him after all but Karofsky was adamant. While in Columbus they stayed in one of the large suites in his hotel but in Lima their accommodations were a little homier. A friend of Karofsky's owned a small motel on the outskirts of town, it was tight and dingy but Finn couldn't complain, it beat having to drive to Columbus or Dayton everyday.

Now that fall was descending on the area though they had been spending almost all their time in Lima trying to beat the weather. At first Finn tried to avoid Lima but when he saw that the Karofsky's had bought land in the relatively undeveloped western end of Lima he was a little more at ease. Dave had told them not to worry about time limits, if they got shut down by Ohio's fierce winter then they could just wait until spring. Finn wanted to get the house done before Quinn had her baby though, he had made it his personal goal. He also knew that part of that was wanted to get the Lima of it all, over with. He didn't run into many people on this side of Lima, just those hanging onto their farms and traditions but he didn't like hanging around any more. Finn knew he was working his guys pretty hard and he felt bad, truly he did, but he wanted to get the house framed, sided and roofed so they could work inside when the weather got bad. Finn had fallen into a routine and it was kind of nice to have one. Every morning he came for breakfast at the diner. It was owned by this crazy Greek couple and it sort of felt like a family. Then he would spend the rest of the day, until the sun left the sky, working on the Karofsky house. The nights he spent crammed into his hotel room, drawing blueprints for the hotel and drinking wine straight from the bottle. Everyday for the past month he had worked diligently, Puck had tried to get him to take at least 1 day off but when Finn set his mind to something it was best to just let him do his thing. Finn's apparent obsession had caused a slight rift between the two men, it was not the first time and it surely would not be the last. They had always had this strange love/hate relationship with each other. Finn felt the presence at the table almost immediately. Puck had been spending his weekends with Karofsky in Columbus and every weekend he tried to get Finn to join him to no advail. He slowly put down the newspaper he had been hiding behind and looked up ready for another fight with Puck. Only it wasn't Puck's accusing brown eyes looking back at him, these eyes were different, just as brown but soft and sad.

"Mrs. St. James" he said in shock.

"Don't you Mrs. St. James me, Finn Hudson."

Her eyes moved back and forth quickly as she looked at him. She was sitting on the edge of the chair, her balled fists sitting on the table. He had never seen someone so angry and yet so poised at the same time. It was like she wanted to leap across the table and pummel him with everything she had. Instead she just sat there staring at him.

"What are you doing here?"

"You never came back" she hissed and the cold tone of her voice caused him to visibly flinch.

"Excuse me?"

"You never came back you jerk" she was practically yelling and people were turning to look at them. "I waited everyday for your truck to pull up and you never came back. Instead you just sent that blond guy to do you work and when I tried to talk to him he told me to go back inside my house."

They looked like a sight he was sure, the poised housewife in her yellow dress and smooth brown hair, yelling loudly at the rough construction worker in his dirty jeans and 3 days worth of stubble. He didn't know what to do to distill this situation but this needed to end, before it even began.

"I think you need to calm down" Finn said in a low voice.

"Don't you dare tell me what I can or cannot do" her voice getting louder instead of lower.

"Right, because I'm not your husband. Only he gets to do that" Finn laughed.

"FUCK YOU" she yelled reaching across the table and swatting at him. "FUCK YOU FINN HUDSON"

Every single person in the diner was staring at them now with a mixture of shock and disdain. The waitress had stilled behind the counter holding a pot of coffee in her hand, the cook stood statuesque in front of the grill. The little Greek couple stood by the door, her mouth hanging open. Here was this lady swearing at the top her lungs in a diner and Finn just sat there like a big dope. This was getting way out of control. Finn shoved his chair back forcefully and rose to his feet. He grabbed Rachel by the bicep trying not to inflict any damage to her but pulling her to her feet in one successful movement. He began to pull her towards the door as he shot an apologetic look towards the older couple. Rachel fought against him as he pulled her out into the chilly autumn air.

"Unhand me at once" she was legitimately shouting as he made sure she didn't stumble down the stairs.

"Will you calm down?" he said looking down at her.

She was breathing heavily, her eyes crazy and her hair a mess. She took the purse she had been gripping in her hand and hit him in the chest with it. It didn't hurt him but it sure as hell shocked him. This situation was like a nightmare, first the yelling match in the diner and now she was beating on him like a crazed woman out on the street. He grabbed her wrist with his free hand and pulled it down to her side.

"I guess that's a no" he said to himself.

"You can't tell me that you didn't feel it Finn, I know you did! But you're a coward."

He pulled her to the side of the building hoping nobody called the newly formed Lima Police Department because he knew how bad this looked. A big guy pulling a well dressed lady into an alley as she screamed and fought against him.

"I believe you're the one who told me I 'didn't belong in your world'. Remember that Mrs. St. James"

"I was ending the confrontation you big dope" she screamed. "It's not like you were doing such a good job at it."

"Can you please lower your voice" he had her pinned against the wall.

"Fuck you" she spat.

"And please for the love of god, quit swearing at me. You have a mouth worse than a sailor. I thought ladies didn't use words like that"

He could tell that tears were trying to come but she was fighting them back. Her eyes were boring a whole in his head as her chest rose and fell rapidly.

"What do you know about ladies?"

"Look, Rachel, you were right. Guys like Puck and I, we don't belong in your world. It was better for everyone involved to just have Sam finish the job. I don't regret my decision either."

"Better for who? Jesse, Philip…. You? Better for who Finn?"

"Don't you get it, we can't do this….." he was getting frustrated.

Because she was right, he felt it from the moment she ran across the street with her nurse bag. That strange pull as if everything he had been gravitating to his entire life was right there in front of him. Finn wasn't a dumb guy though, he knew the situation. Rachel was married, in love with another man, and he had to respect that. But good lord she was so close to him, warm and soft against his body and she smelled like lavender. He shook his head to try and clear that from his mind.

"Why?"

Her eyes glared into his.

"Why what?"

"Why can't we try to do this?"

"Jesus Christ, you are a married woman, don't you understand what that means?" Finn was annoyed as hell.

And then she started crying, she collapsed against him as tears ran forcefully down her cheeks, she began to gasp for air as the sobs racked her small frame.

"Of course I know. I live with this every single day. My choices and mistakes…."

Her fingers dug into his arms as she began to slink to the ground and he had to catch her from falling. She was falling apart right in front of him and he didn't know what to do but he had to get them out of this stupid alley.

"Come on" he said his voice calm as he led her from the alley.

* * *

><p>Finn handed Rachel a cup of hot tea and she took it from him graciously. Sipping slowly he sat across from her at the small table by the window in his hotel room. He knew that taking her here was a bad idea but what else was he going to do? She hadn't said anything since they had gotten here but he didn't push her, he was just happy that she had quit crying, he never did well with crying women. She used two hands to put the tea down and then looked up at him.<p>

"I love my husband" she finally spoke.

Finn nodded because he knew she did despite her earlier display in the diner. She felt rejected he was sure and he couldn't blame her for being mad at him.

"I love him, but I'm not _in_ love with him" Rachel wasn't focusing on him or anything else, her eyes looked far away.

"There's a difference?"

"Of course there is a difference Finn" she said as if he should have known that.

Finn wasn't a dumb man but sometimes he just didn't understand women's logic. He just looked at her confused waiting for her to continue with her explanation. She sighed in frustration before continuing.

"Love is a very basic feeling that can encompass more than just one person. You love your parents, your children and even your friends. But to be in love with someone, to have that feeling like you can't breath without them, well it's very different."

"Why marry him then?"

"Because that's what women do, we grow up, we get married and we take care of our families" she said so matter of factly. "My entire life my parents prepared me to be a good wife. They let me dream but never to big, they let me explore careers but never to far, everything I ever did was in preparation to one day be a good wife and nothing more. Jesse is a good man Finn and a good provider but he's boring and predictable."

She looked across the table at Finn with a look of disgust on her face as she continued to speak. Finn finally understood it, her plight. She did what was expected of her even if it wasn't what she wanted.

"I'm bigger than this Finn. I'm bigger than Jesse and I'm bigger than Lima."

Tears glistened in her eyes as she looked up at him again before sipping her tea. He smiled at her because he had no idea what else to do or say. She sniffled a little and cleared her throat.

"I have always dreamed big, bigger than most people can. In my mind, my dreams, I could be anything I wanted to be. I could be like those beautiful Hollywood starlets I grew up idolizing. That was my real dream, to be something in the world to make an impact that went farther than Lima, Ohio. But dreams are just that, something you wake up from. Then I met you and I felt something I had never felt before. I felt alive. I was happy with Jesse before because I didn't know anything else. Then I met you."

"Rachel" he said sliding a hand towards hers.

"I know how wrong these feelings are Finn, my head and my heart are in constant battle. Jesse has been good to me, but I want, need more. The world is changing Finn, I can feel it, this isn't our parents world anymore. I don't want to sit back in 40 years and think about all the stuff I could have done, if only I had the balls."

Finn snickered then and she lowered her eyes at him.

"What?"

"I'm sorry" he was laughing hysterically now.

"Finn Hudson what is so funny?"

"You said balls" he was crying now from the force of his laughter.

"That's what your laughing about, after all I've done today. You find that funny"

Finn could not control himself and he was gasping for air as he bent over at the waist.

"FINN HUDSON…STOP LAUGHING AT ME RIGHT NOW."

He sat up taking a big gasp of air and getting himself under control. He smiled at her as she watched him with a death glare.

"I'm sorry Rachel, I wasn't laughing at you. You just take me by surprise sometimes."

"I know what I'm asking you to do, in asking you to take a chance on me" she said firmly.

"And Jesse?" Finn asked because he had to.

"Well I would prefer not to invite him into this" she said honestly.

"That's not what I was asking and you know it."

"He cheats on me all the time. He thinks he's being covert but he's not, the beautiful blond secretaries, the girl at the market, even Betty Anne fucking Moore."

"Oh Rachel"

"But I'm just supposed to be okay with that you know. Because he comes home to me, because that's what men do, guys being guys and all that. I told my mother once, the first time I caught him with a girl in our bed in our apartment in Columbus. We had been barely married a month. She told me that this is something people don't talk about."

"That's not okay Rachel"

"I know that Finn, but what was I supposed to do?"

He smiled at her. She had such hurt and pain in her eyes speaking of the trials of her marriage. He didn't get it, why a man with a woman like Rachel would ever want to stray.

"Rachel St. James, I have never met anyone like you before in my life."

"Is that a good thing" she said softly.

"That is a very good thing"

It was in that moment that he knew he was going to do this. Despite everything he had ever told himself about life and love. Rachel was special, she lit up any room she ever went into and he got butterflies when he looked at her. Finn felt like a schoolboy instead of the grown man he was, he had been with his fair share of women but never felt like this before. He leaned across the small table, put his finger under her chin and brought her face up in his direction and brought his lips down on hers. It was like his whole life flashed in front of his eyes at that exact moment, he felt fire and electricity flow between them.

"Take me to bed Finn Hudson" Rachel said against his lips.

He pulled back and looked at her, all he could see in her eyes was passion.

"Are you sure?"

She laughed, it was light and airy "Don't men not question requests like these. I mean don't you guys want it all the time?"

"Were not animals Rach" he smiled as he walked around the table in his direction.

"Awe, what if I want an animal" she pouted.

"Then you got it baby" he laughed pulling her up from the chair.

She squealed knocking over the tea as he pulled her body as close to his as possible. He was hard as a fucking rock after just one kiss. He was pretty sure he was going to hell for this but sometimes you just have to live a little.

Finn slid the zipper down on her pretty yellow dress and watched it pool around her feet. She was wearing simple white panties and a bra but she looked like a goddess to him. His hands roamed all over her body as her lips attacked his with as much passion as one person could muster. He walked them backwards the few inches to the bed, their mouths still attached and their bodies still connected. She felt her legs hit the back of the bed and sat down staring up at him hungrily.

"I think you are a bit overdressed Mr. Hudson" she laughed lightly.

She reached up and grabbed for his belt as he pulled his shirt off and looked back down at her as she moved her fingers efficiently and removed his belt quickly throwing it across the room. It slid across the table and into the spilled tea. Before Finn could even register it his pants were pooled around his ankles and his boxers quickly followed. He heard her take in a breath as she was no face to face with his cock. She looked up at him with a look of shock on her face and he realize that Jesse must be less well endowed than him. He knew it was stupid but it made him feel a little proud. He had no time to really think about that though because he felt her tongue circling around the head of his cock.

"Oh shit" he said his fingers in her hair.

She slid her mouth all the way around him, sliding back and forth with a steady rhythm as her tongue swirled around him. He rocked his hips up into her face and she reached around and grabbed his butt as he felt him hit the back of her throat. He was bigger than Jesse so it was a good thing she didn't have a gag reflex.

"Rach…. Stop baby" he said pulling back.

"Did I do something wrong?" she asked, Jesse usually just let her go until he came in her mouth and then he was done.

"No way, that was amazing but I won't last if you keep that shit up. Damn girl you have an amazing talent there."

"Shut up already" she laughed pulling on his arm.

She scooted back on the bed as he crawled in her direction settling in between her leg. His arms held him up on either side of her head as his head dipped down. He ran his tongue over one nipple and then the other taking time with each one. His lips ran up her chest and neck to her earlobe, placing tiny kisses along the way. She thrust her hips up into him and moaned as he moved across her jaw to her lips. Their kiss was fast and passionate, her fingers digging into his muscular back. He rolled to one side quickly and ran his free hand up her slit, feeling her moisture and rolling back on top of her. He positioned himself at her entrance and guided himself inside. She was hot, wet and moist, Finn was pretty sure he had just died and went to heaven.

"Fuck Rach….. So tight" he said as he began thrusting slowly.

"Faster" she gasped against his neck and he obliged.

He was so close but he never wanted this to end, she had to go before him. He wanted her to, it was his only goal.

"Touch yourself Rachel" he groaned out.

"What?"

"I want you to touch yourself" he said thrusting harder into her.

He didn't want to move his arms away because he was worried about crushing her. She was a lot smaller than him and this was their first time. They didn't have that familiar rhythm yet or he would have done it himself. He felt her small hand move in between their bodies, her engagement ring rubbing against the skin of his abdomen. He tried to push that thought from his head because right now Rachel St. James was his and only his. It was his name she was moaning out in that sexy breathy voice, it was his body that was hovering above hers, his lips she was brushing against, his cock buried deep inside her.

"Uuuuuuh Finn" she called out her body tightening around his, her feet tight across his ass.

"Come on baby cum for me" he groaned out pushing harder into her, her fingers working faster on her clit.

"FUCK" she yelled out throwing her head back as she crashed down around him.

Two more thrusts was all it took for to explode inside of her as she reached her hands up around his neck and pulled his face down to hers. He rolled to his side slightly, pulling out of her and leaning against his bent arm. Their breath was ragged, their hearts raced and their skin glistened with sweat. He reached up and brushed a stray strand of hair off her forehead and replaced it with his lips. She rolled into him and closed her eyes, her hot breath against his chest, their legs intertwined together. They laid like that for a while and Finn wasn't even sure if she was still awake, hell he didn't know how he was still awake. He felt movement against his chest and looked down at her. Her brown eyes seemed to dance and he could smell her all around him. She smelled like flowers and sex, it was intoxicating.

"Hi" she said softly.

"Hi" he said back as she intertwined her fingers with his.

She rolled them back and forth in her grasp for a bit and smiled up at him.

"Nobody has ever called me Rach before, you know" she said.

"Yeah?"

"I like it"

"Good, because I like you" Finn responded and for the first time in a really long time he meant it.


	6. Chapter 6

Sorry this took so long to update. I'm having a real issue getting my vision into words the way I want too. This chapter is not one of my best but at this point it's the best I could do. Sorry if it disappoints!

* * *

><p>Rachel couldn't sleep, she had been lying here for hours watching the moon make shadows on the ceiling. Beside her Jesse stirred, making a groaning sound before turning over. She moved her head, glancing at his sleeping form for a minute before looking back at the ceiling. She wished her mind would stop racing long enough for her to get some sleep. In a few hours the sun would peak over the horizon and she would be faced with another day, another day of making meals and playing the perfect little wife to a man she no longer wanted to be married to.<p>

Rachel St. James was in a pickle if there ever was one. She knew what she was doing was wrong in every way possible and yet every fiber of her being told her she was right. Or at least, what was right for her. Rachel usually knew exactly what she was doing with her life but now she was truly conflicted. Her heart and her mind were pushing her quickly in two very different directions. Heck it was more like they were yanking her forcefully in opposite directions. Rachel had always followed her mind when it came to making the big decisions in life. Her mind was sensible and her heart a dreamer, if she had followed the desires of her heart she would have run off for Hollywood or something like it a long time ago. But what Rachel wanted to do and what she had to do were two very different things. There was no question in her mind of her true feelings, she didn't love Jesse, it was that simple. Yet something so simple was so complex and difficult because she had chosen the path of her life. She had said yes to him with he asked her to be his wife with the intentions of being so for the rest of her life. Now, she had to consider the possibility that she made a huge mistake, she had not allowed herself to see the world outside her comfortable little bubble.

She glanced over at Jesse again, the moon reflecting off the subtle muscles of his back. She closed her eyes and tried to imagine it was the bulkier form of Finn in bed with her. She sighed and turned back to the ceiling, a hand pushing her bangs away from her forehead. When she returned home after they had sex the first time she expected to be overrun with feelings of guilt, instead she felt free, for the first time in years Rachel had made a decision souly for herself. She had not come looking for him with the intention of cheating on her husband but in the moment, she was overwhelmed with her emotions. And once she crossed that line she could not bring herself back, not because she was unable to do so, but because she just didn't fucking want to. Rachel was tired of being the good girl, the dainty housewife, she was going to live her life! At first she had been unsure about how to deal with the situation though, in a world like hers there were always eyes on her. Woman didn't cheat on their husbands, at least not openly and they certainly didn't get divorced. In fact Rachel was pretty sure it wasn't even legal for a woman to begin divorce preceding. Rachel couldn't let herself look at the big picture though, she knew she wanted to be with Finn while she could and she fully intended to do so. She wasn't sure if she was in love with him, but she certainly felt like she might be. She tried to show some restraint while she figured things out to no avail. After only a few days however she just had to see Finn, it was like she was addicted to him in the best possible ways. So Rachel had sat Jesse down at dinner that night and explained to him she needed more out of her life and that she was going to volunteer at the Children's Clinic over in Carmel a few afternoons a week. Jesse hadn't even lowered his newspaper while she spoke, simply saying "That sounds nice dear" when she finished talking. She wanted to punch him in the face, the least he could do was make eye contact with her when she spoke. Finn always listened to what she had to say, even if it was probably boring him to death. Finn always took an interest, always made sure to ask her opinion on things, he treated her like an equal, something no other man had ever done before. She forced her eyes closed, shutting out the moonlit images on the ceiling, her thoughts filled with pieces of him. His shiny hazel eyes, his russet hair, the long lean muscles of his back, the way he quirked a half smile in her direction that could make her wet on the spot. At least in her dreams she could have it all!

* * *

><p>"Finn, your design for this lobby is absolutely stunning" Quinn's soft timber barely reached his ears.<p>

They were in the lobby of the hotel, blueprints spread across the large counter. The sounds of the bar spilling out into the room as people hustled around going and coming at a steady pace. It was early evening and winter was forcing it's way into town even though nobody was welcoming it. The last place in the world Finn wanted to be was sitting here smoosing but business calls and to be honest he had blown the last couple meeting off. Quinn was dressed in a simple brown sweater dress, a white fur coat draped over her shoulders. Finn glanced down and noticed the round bump that had once been her slender stomach. It was kind of weird seeing her like this, domestic and all, she would always be the blond cheerleader to him. He looked up from her and across the lobby when his eyes fell on a familiar shock of blond hair. He nudged Puck softly and Puck looked in the same direction. There was Jesse St. James himself sitting at a small table in the corner across from a petite blond. The sight of St. James made Finn want to punch something or kick over a chair. It wasn't even because he was sleeping with his wife, he just didn't like the guy. He was snotty and condescending and Finn could not stomach people who thought they were so much better than everyone else. Karofsky noticed them looking and turned his head to follow their gazes and Quinn droned on in the background.

"Ah yes, Mr. St. James, you know him?"

"You can say that" Finn said softly.

Puck laughed uncomfortably "I sort of got into a fight with him once."

"A fight, with St. James? About what? The guys so….. Gentle."

"His wife" Finn said his eyes following Jesse's every move.

"Ah yes, Lyla, she is a beauty. So soft and reserved too." As Dave spoke both Finn and Puck moved their heads in his direction.

"Who is Lyla?"

Karofsky gestured in their direction as Puck and Finn looked at each other confused.

"Lyla is not his wife, Rachel is" Finn said more to himself than to either of the gentlemen at the table.

"Well I don't know any Rachel but he and Lyla have been coming in here every Friday night for almost a year. Everyone knows of them around here, they love to catch a show and dinner. They even spend some weekends, though we don't see much of them on those occasions."

Quinn finally joined in the conversation "Oh and Lyla is always dressed so well. They are quite a society couple. It's to bad he works in Dayton and isn't around much during the week. I don't know how she can stand to be away from him like that. Thank goodness I have you all the time Davey."

Puck and Sam looked over at Karofsky uncomfortably and he laughed nervously, "It's the hormones, makes her a little…crazy" he said as low as possible.

"Yeah well… Lyla….. Not his only wife" Puck said with a hiss.

"No way, he's double timing?" Dave said shaking his head.

Finn was no longer even listening to the conversation beside him, he was seeing red! He knew that Jesse cheated on Rachel, heck even Rachel knew but to see it confirmed. To see him with this other woman, draped in expensive clothing and jewelry while Rachel sat at home cleaning his house and dreaming of a life outside of Lima. Finn flew up to a standing position, the stool he had been sitting on crashing to the floor. Puck grabbed at his arm but Finn had managed to slip by him already. Sam was on his feet just as quickly, the Karofsky's looking on with a mixed expression of shock and confusion. Finn was already storming through the restaurant and was just steps away from Jesse's table when Sam caught him by the arm.

"What are you doing" he hissed as Finn just moved forward.

Jesse looked up to see what the commotion was and a look of distaste crossed his features.

"Mr. Hudson, what a pleasure" he said through gritted teeth.

"You are a scumbag you know that" Finn began "You don't deserve her!"

"Excuse me?" Lyla said her hand on her chest a large diamond on her finger.

"Come on Finn, don't do this" Sam tugged at him while Puck stood by statuesque ready to move if he needed to.

"Mr. Hudson, I have no idea what you are carrying on about but I suggest….." Jesse stood now.

Finn finally took a minute to look around and realized what he was doing. He took a deep breath and stepped back a little before responding.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about Mr. St. James, I hope you can't get it out of your mind. Enjoy your evening" he said and simply turned away.

Sam and Puck followed him back out of the restaurant but Finn continued walking, when he reached the doors he turned to Puck.

"Thank the Karofsky's for their kindness but I need to get back to Lima. I have something I need to take care of."

"Is this about Rachel?" Puck hissed.

"How…?" Finn wasn't sure that Puck was aware of what was going on.

"I know, I think I knew the minute I saw you with her"

"Oh" Finn hoped it wasn't that obvious.

"It's cool man, I think I understand" Puck said.

Finn shot him a small smile before turning and walking out into the cold night.

* * *

><p>Finn was literally pounding on the door when Rachel pulled it open. It was late, and she had been getting ready for bed when the knocking began. She was in shock to see him standing there, he had told her he was in Columbus for the weekend working on the hotel and ironically enough so was Jesse working on the big Chevy campaign that was about to launch.<p>

"What are you doing here?" she gasped pulling him into the house.

He was dressed in dark jeans and a white tee-shirt. His coat hung open to the chilly night air and his hair was a complete mess, like he had just spent the last 3 hours running his fingers through it. He lips crashed down on hers in a heated exchange, it was like he could not get enough of her. He pushed her backwards through the house his lips never separating from hers. When he reached the island in the middle of the kitchen he pulled her by her waist and sat her on top of it. She put her hands against his chest and pushed him back, gasping for air.

"What has gotten into you?" she laughed.

He looked at her then; night gown, hair in a pony and knew he was in love with her, these feelings, he couldn't get them to go away. Nothing like this had ever happened to him, he barely knew her and yet knew her completely, it scared him.

"Jesse doesn't deserve you" he said looking up at her with those brown eyes.

"What?"

"Jesse, he doesn't…""Yeah I heard you Finn. Look I don't want to talk about Jesse, I've told you that. It makes this feel…..dirty" she sighed.

"We need to talk about this Rachel, about where this is going and what we are doing."

"I don't want to talk Finn! Why can't we just let it be for now?" she asked as he stepped back from her.

"Because what he's doing to you, it's not fair. You are an amazing woman Rachel and he doesn't see it or respect it."

All of that fiery passion was gone from his eyes and replaced with something else she couldn't read. He stared at her for a moment before shaking his head and backing away from her. He looked a little crazy and it scared her a little, not a fear of physical harm or anything but she didn't like not being able to read him.

"I can't do this" he finally said.

"What do you mean?" she scooted to the edge of the counter and hopped down.

"This…. Whatever this is, I can't do it. I have always tried to stay away from relationships for a reason. If I'm going to do this, I need to know that you are as invested in this as I am."

She walked towards him reaching for him but he stepped back again, running his fingers through his hair. His eyes were trained on hers, a look of determination on his beautiful features.

"I am" she said softly.

"I don't feel that you are" He backed up a few more steps even though she wasn't moving anymore.

She didn't know what had spawned this in him but her heart was aching, she actually loved this man and wanted this to work but she was married and that was what it was.

"What do you want me to do? To prove to you how I feel?"

"Come be with me…. For real. No more sneaking around"

"I'm married" she frowned "I can't just walk away."

"Why not?"

"Finn…." she began

"Rachel" he responded.

"No, don't interrupt me. You knew what you were getting into when you got into this. I'm married, I belong to another man and as much as I love you that is not going to change. Women don't have the right to get divorced"

He finally moved, crossed across the room and grabbed her lightly by the arms, looking down at her with those big brown eyes she melted into every time he looked at her.

"You don't' belong to anyone but yourself Rachel. You are an amazing woman, strong and beautiful. I don't want to share you. I love you Rachel St. James, completely"

"But" she said

"Come with me" he pleaded.

"Just leave Jesse" she scoffed.

"Yeah" he said simply.

"Just like that"

"Just like that Rachel. I want to be with you, to go to sleep every night and wake up each morning with you in my arms. I want you to have my children and raise them together. I want to grow old with you. For me, it's that simple."

"Are you asking me to marry you Finn Hudson?" she laughed, this was crazy.

"If I could, I would" he replied a spark in his eyes.

"This is crazy you know"

"I know… that's how I know it's right. I know we've only known each other a short time but I have never in my life felt this way about another person. I don't want to loose this Rachel, I don't want to loose you."

As she stood there looking at him she saw everything so clearly, saw him so clearly. She knew her next move would change the course of her life. If she stayed Finn would leave forever and if she went, she would be going against everything she was ever taught to believe was right. And yet the decision was so crystal clear it scared her and that was how she knew it was right.

"Okay" she said.

"Really?" she could tell he had been expecting another answer.

"Yeah, really. I know I love you Finn and that is about all I know"

Finn smiled down at her and leaned down for a kiss. She stopped him before his lips touched hers.

"But I have to do this on my own terms. If I'm going to do this, start this life with you, I want to do it with a clean slate"

"Okay" he smiled "I'm going to kiss you now"

And he did.


	7. Chapter 7

"You what?"

Rachel was standing nervously by the table, her hands resting on the smooth wood as Jesse stared up at her. The drink in front of him abandoned, leaving a ring of condensation on the slick cherry finished table. His eyes were slits, cold and calculating as he simply stared at her. It was like he was looking into her soul, like he could read every thought and feeling, like he knew every single indiscretion. Rachel thought telling Jesse that they needed to talk would be the hard part but this cold stare he was now giving her, it was so much worse. She had no intention of hurting him, in fact that was part of her motivation to leave, but she felt like the worse person on Earth right now. She took a deep cleansing breath, her stomach churning.

"I want a divorce" she finally said the words and it was like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders.

Then Jesse did something completely unexpected, he laughed. A full on belly laugh and tears sprung to his eyes as he laughed, as he laughed at her. Rachel pulled her fingers from the table balling them into fists at her side.

"Your laughing at me" she was furious.

He thought this was a joke, she was telling him she was done, that she wanted out and he was laughing at her as if she just told a really good joke. How could he be so mean, so obnoxious, so uncaring. Who laughs when their spouse asks for a divorce?

"Come on Rachel, your being unreasonable. What's really bothering you baby?"

"I'm not being unreasonable, I am done, I want a divorce" she pushed on.

Rachel knew what she was up against, she wasn't stupid, the only way she would be able to divorce Jesse was if he divorced her, if he started divorce proceedings. She knew that he technically could not prevent her from leaving, she could do that on her own but she needed to get him to agree to do this, she wanted to be completely free to be her own woman.

"No" Jesse took a long swig from his drink, bourbon on the rocks, every night it was bourbon on the rocks. Courage, liquid courage, racing through his veins, she knew she was going to loose her control on this conversation.

He shoved the empty glass in her direction, it bumped against the soft green cotton of her dress leaving a wet smear where it made contact. He put his hands on the table and slid his chair back, rising to his feet slowly.

"You should really get dinner together, I shouldn't have to wait after working all day" his voice was strangely normal, as if this were just a normal everyday conversation they had been having.

"I'm not making you fucking dinner" she spat out loosing control of her normally reserved emotions.

"Excuse me?" Jesse turned around slowly in her direction.

She took a deep breath, standing her ground as he advanced towards her. He came to stop right in front of her, his eyes angry as his mouth set in a firm line. He stared down at her, his blond hair hanging over his eyes. He was so close to her, uncomfortably close and her nerve was fading fast.

"I said I wasn't making you dinner" her voice wavered a little as she spoke.

"I heard you Rachel. I don't like this new little independent woman act you've got going on. You know what the problem is, this new job, I give you an inch and you take a mile. Well you know what Rachel, that's done. You are my wife. You are to be here taking care of our home while I go out and support us. So turn your sweet little ass around, make me some dinner and wash that language out of your mouth because no wife of mine is going to talk like a sailor" His voice was low, firm and menacing.

Little did Jesse know he had woken something up inside of Rachel, his words, they cut down to her core. All she was to him was an object to him, like the furniture or the curtains.

"And tonight no more excuses, you are going to have sex with me and we are going to make a baby."

"No" she said softly.

"What?" his hands gripped her biceps tightly, she winced under the grip, his fingers bruising her flesh.

"No. Look I know about Lyla and all the others. Your not faithful to me, you don't treat me like an equal. So no, I'm not going to make you dinner, or have sex with you. I'm telling you this is over. I have never asked anything of you until now, please, let me go."

"Who the hell is Lyla?" he played dumb well but she could see it in his eyes, the slight recognition at the name.

"Your little girly in Columbus, the one you've been spending all these weekends with. While I am here, cleaning your house and doing your laundry. Making you breakfast and dinner everyday and making sure everything is in place for your return. I know about her and I know about MaryAnn Moore too, your best friends fucking wife, you're a pig. I never would have married you if I knew you could be monogamous."

"That's what this is about. My little indiscretions?"

She wished he would let go of her arms and give her some space. She was feeling more closed in by the minute, she felt like she could not breathe correctly, like she was melting under his gaze. She closed her eyes for only a minute and her vision filled with soft brown eyes and spiky brown hair. Finn. This was about Finn, she needed to do this for them.

"Little?" she snapped "You cheated on me you jerk. Constantly."

He slapped her hard, before speaking.

"Only because my own wife couldn't satisfy me as I needed to be. It's always an excuse with you Rachel, you always find a way to get out of having intercourse. Well not anymore. You don't want me to have a little fun on the side, then you better be prepared to give me exactly what I want. This is all your fault you little prude" he hissed.

"That doesn't give you the right to cheat on me. You took a vow too you know." She knew she was being a bit hypocritical but she thought maybe if she could make him feel bad he would just give her the damn divorce.

"You don't get to tell me how to act." His face hovered above hers "You are my wife, you will obey and respect me."

A hand left her arm and went hard to her thigh pushing her skirt up as he leaned into her.

"And you better start satisfying me."

Pushing her back against the counter, pushing his mouth to hers roughly. She tried to push back but he was stronger than her, solid like a rock. One hand was now gripping her hip, the fabric of her skirt bunched in his fingers as the other worked quickly on his belt. Rachel tried to move again, she could not believe this was about to happen, she was going to be raped by her own husband. Free from his pants he reached up and pulled on her panties sliding them down one side and then the other.

"Please Jesse, I don't want to do this" tears brimmed blurring her vision.

"Your going to do this you little bitch and your going to enjoy it too" he was raging mad, she could hear it in his voice. She had seen Jesse angry before but this was something entirely different.

He pushed his lips hard against hers again as he roughly ran a finger over her clit. She felt violated, violated by a man who had promised to love her and protect her forever. So she did the only thing she could think of at the time, she bit his lip. She could taste the thick metallic liquid flow into her mouth as he yelped out moving away from her a little.

"You little fucking bitch" he put a finger to his lip wiping away a smear of blood.

He lunged at her again but she moved and he ran smack into the counter. It didn't stop him but it slowed him down a little and Rachel grabbed for what she had been going for. But he was taller and stronger than her and grabbed at her waist pulling her towards him. His fingers slumped into her panties and she shoved her face first against the counter, pulling them down. He braced one arm on the side of her and started to move his erection between her legs. She screamed and he snaked his arm around her face covering her mouth. She bit his finger as his hand clamped over her mouth and he hissed and pulled it away.

"Stop biting me" he growled shoving at her skirt again.

She had to fight him, she had to get away, she should just let him do what he wanted before he hurt her but she couldn't. Her hands clawed out in front of her and she brushed the coffee mug she had been sipping tea from earlier. She flung her arm around and hit him hard on the hip with it over and over. He backed away just long enough for her to scrambled away from him grabbing a knife from the butcher block. She turned and pointed the knife in his direction

"DON'T TOUCH ME" she shouted waving the knife.

"What are you going to do with that baby doll, your going stab me?" he was laughing.

"If I need to" she was walking backwards toward the living room, she had to get out of here.

He moved forward again daring her, he didn't believe she would do it. Heck she didn't believe she would do it.

"Rachel put the knife down. Your acting like a crazy person" he said grabbing for the knife but she slashed it away.

"No" she stood her ground.

"Rachel" he tried again.

"Give me my divorce" she said pointing the knife at him again.

"Baby, that is the last thing your getting out of me. If you think you are going anywhere you are wrong! Your mine, you will always be mine. No matter where you go, you will be mine…. Forever. I own you Rachel! You want to leave, leave, there's the door! But just know, just know that I will find you, someday, when you least expect it, I will find you and drag you back here. You will never get away from me!"

"Fuck you Jesse" she spat before backing her way out of the living room, knife still in hand.

As soon as she cleared the threshold she turned around and began to run as fast as she could. She had no idea where she was going but she had to get away, away from this house, this neighborhood and mostly Jesse. She heard him yell behind her from the front porch.

"I will be seeing you Rachel, you can count on it."

* * *

><p>Rachel slump against the wall of the darkened diner. She had been wandering for hours, running until her legs felt like rubber, her feet bare and bleeding as she clutched her heels in her hands. It was cold outside, her breath clearly visible but she didn't feel cold. The goose bumps rising up on her arms as she slumped down to the cold cement. She didn't know this side of Lima that well, she knew how to find the diner but she had no idea where exactly the hotel was. She felt tears beginning to rise up and she pushed them back, there was no time for crying. This was survival, she just needed a rest and then she would power on but her feet screamed as her legs finally relaxed. So instead she sat there, leaning against the unforgiving brick as the winter air whooshed around her raising the hairs on her bare arms. She shut her eyes replaying the events from earlier in her brain. She had never expected that out of Jesse, she had known him a long time and never known him to be violent.<p>

"What have I done" she spoke to the wind.

6 Months ago her life had been simple, she was in her bubble. 6 Months ago she had the life she had always expected, a hard working man to take care of her, a quaint suburban house, 6 months ago she had been content.

"No you weren't" she spoke aloud.

6 months ago she had been hiding, 6 months ago she had let all her dreams die, 6 months ago she had tried accept that she was meant to be a wife. 6 months ago she was not content, she was dead, inside, the real Rachel Berry had died.

"What happened to that girl"

She's right here, she's always been here, you have to let her out. She's back. She's clawing her way to the surface. She's right here, she's a fighter, a dreamer, a survivor, she's alive.

"She's going to change the world" that was out loud again.

She will if you let her, You have to let her, you have to live, really live. You were destined for more, more than Lima and far more than Jesse.

"Finn"

He's a survivor too. Destiny, your destiny. No accident. Just destiny. No more mistakes, no more hiding. Finn. Survival. Love. Destiny. Hope. A second chance.

She closed her eyes, picturing his face. His bright eyes, the way his hair always looked like it needed to be combed, the lopsided smile that made her insides churn. The long, lean body, large gentle hands.

"What in the world are you doing out here?" The voice was familiar.

She opened an eye, the moonlight reflecting off the bare scalp on either side of the Mohawk. He wore a large bulky coat and jeans, his hands securely in his pockets. An eyebrow raised as he looked at her.

"Noah" she said scrambling to her feet.

She wanted to scream out as soon as she put weight on her tired, cold, broken feet. She felt like she had been through a war, her muscles tired and worn. Barely holding her weight steady.

"What the hell happened to you?"

It was then she realized what she must look like. Her feet bare and bloody, her dress wrinkled, dirty, one strap broken hanging loose past her arm. Her ponytail was askew, tracks of mascara running down her raw cheeks.

"Jesse" she said as she hurled herself into Puck's arms dropping her red heels at his boot clad feet.

Puck didn't know what to do, but he was angry, as Rachel clung to him. Her nails sunk into the fluff of his coat as her legs began to give out a little. He felt her weight against his arms as she passed out.

* * *

><p>Rachel's eyes fluttered open, confusion setting in. Last she remembered was passing out in Noah Puckerman's arms but now she felt warm, comfortable and safe. Most importantly safe. It was dark in the room, well past sunset but not nearly near sunrise. The blankets were white, crisp and fresh. She moved to sit up and noticed the familiar interior of Finn's hotel room. He was sitting at the small table in front of the windows, his index finger running a circuit over the lip of a coffee mug. He heard the squeaking of the bed and shifted his attention in her direction. He was at her side before she could register the movement, pulling her into his large awaiting arms. He had almost lost his shit when Puck had appeared at his door with an unconscious Rachel a few an hour ago. They cleaned her up and put her in the bed, Finn holding vigil since Puck had arrived.<p>

"You scared the shit out of me Rachel" he said into her hair.

She clung to him, not saying anything but holding on for dear life.

"What happened baby?" he asked pulling her back to look at her big brown eyes.

"Jesse" she gasped clawing at Finn again.

He took her into his arms, holding her trembling frame tight to his. They sat like that for what felt to Finn like forever. Finally he felt her relax in his arms and looked down at her.

"I can't believe your real Finn Hudson" she smiled.

"What did he do to you Rachel?"

"He won't divorce me Finn. He won't let me go"

"But you're here baby. Right here, in my arms. We don't need him to divorce you, we will be together in our own way."

"I don't want to be married to him, I don't want to be his"

"Your not"

"I am! I want to be yours Finn"

"Rachel" he looked down at her "You are not mine, I don't own you. You are you, you belong to yourself and don't you ever forget that."

She smiled up at him "I love you Finn Hudson."

Finn could tell there was still something wrong though, her appearance and attitude told a story that contained far more than Jesse not divorcing her.

"Rachel, what else happened?"

She took a deep breath "He tried to rape me."

Finn's blood ran hot and he wanted to drive over there and kill him with his bare hands. And he could, he had the training, the army had made sure of that. But instead he just sat there cradling her in his arms.

"I will kill him" Finn finally spoke his voice low.

"No" she said looking up "Just take me away from here! Far away."


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: It's a Halloween Miracle, an Update. Thanks for everyone being so patient with me and still hanging into this story! Between work and school my life is crazy right now!

Disclaimer: I own nothing but a half eaten bag of Halloween Candy.

* * *

><p>A hard knocking woke Rachel from had to be the most peaceful slumber of her life. She was naked as the day she was born, tucked tightly into Finn's arms, the covers pulled tight around her body. Her back against his bare chest, the gentle rise and fall of his breathing a comfort to her, it was almost sedating. She shifted her face towards the clock, squinting in the dim moonlight to see the time. It looked like it was a little before 5am and way to early in her book. She and Finn had barely been asleep for a few hours, he had been great the entire time. Listening to the horror of her night, wiping her tears as they made tracks down her rosy cheeks, pulling her tight to his solid frame and just holding her. The continued knocking at the door brought her back to reality though and a part of her was furious at who ever dared to interrupt their peace.<p>

"Finn" she said softly nudging him with her back.

He shifted in his sleep, tightening his grasp on her and mumbling something incoherent. She really didn't want to wake him, she wanted to just sink into him and fall back into her own peaceful slumber but whoever was outside the door was nothing but persistent. The rapping of knuckles on wood ringing out in the quiet din of dawn. She reached behind her and put her hand on his hip shaking him as she said his name again. This time she heard his breathing change and a soft kiss on her ear.

"What time is it?" he stretched out behind her.

"Almost 5" she said turning in his arms so she could look at him.

"Why are we up?" he whined.

She had noticed that Finn possessed very childlike qualities when he was tired or frustrated. She knew she should find it obnoxious but to be truthful she found it endearing. After living with a man who tried to remain damn near perfect the rawness of Finn was refreshing.

"Someone's at the door" she spoke just as the pounding started again.

"The hell?" Finn cursed moving away from her.

He stood, his bare skin reflecting in the sliver of moonlight from the window. She wished, in that moment, that they could just be naked forever. She felt a sudden rush of cold air as Finn pulled the sheet from her body, wrapping it around his waist and bending to grab the comforter they had discarded only hours before. She pulled it up to her neck, snuggling into the warmth he had left behind in the bed. The knocking continued as Finn crossed the room, stumbling on the sheet as he moved.

"Puckerman, Somebody better be dead because if not it's going to be you" Finn began as he pulled the heavy wooden door open.

Only the moon didn't outline the familiar form of his best friend and he squinted to see Jesse St. James standing before him, hands on his hips, offensively. Finn sighed, this was exactly what he needed at 5 AM, while wearing a sheet as the cold November seeped into the warm comfort of his room.

"Where is my wife" Jesse hissed.

"Good Morning Jesse, how nice of you to stop by" Finn said sarcastically.

"Answer my question" Jesse stepped closer to Finn.

"How should I know, she's your wife, shouldn't you know where she is?"

"Fuck you Hudson, I know she's here and she's leaving with me. I don't know what game you assholes are playing but it ends now. No more stalking me in Columbus, no more fucking my wife, it stops today."

"You know Jesse, I'm not a fan of your tone or your accusations but I'm far to tired to argue with you. Please leave"

"Where is my wife" he hissed.

"Don't know" Finn retorted.

"Bullshit" Jesse gestured "Your in a sheet for Christ sake."

"I like to sleep naked" Finn said evenly.

"RACHEL" he started yelling and Finn rubbed his hand down his face.

"Shut up" he hissed "It's 5 in the fucking morning, on a Tuesday. Maybe you like to be up at this hour but my neighbors probably don't" Finn glanced to the room next door being occupied by a young couple waiting for their house to be finished.

"Give me my wife, and I will leave"

"Give you your wife?" Finn scoffed he could not believe he just said that.

"Yes give _me_ my _wife_"

"I don't _have_ your wife, she's not property" Finn was getting pissed.

Jesse tried to push forward but Finn had 6 inches and a good 75 pounds on him. His attempts to push into the room futile, Jesse resorted to yelling again. Finn really wanted to just knock him out but he was in a sheet and it was 5am and he just didn't have the energy.

"Leave me alone Jesse" a soft voice from behind him rose up.

Finn stepped to the side a little to see Rachel standing behind him, her small frame covered by his tee-shirt, her hair screamed sex, her hands planted firmly on her hips.

"Rachel, get out here right now" Jesse demanded.

"It's over Jesse, please leave us alone" she said her voice a bit shaky.

"I'm not playing Rachel, get out here before I have to come in there and get you. I have to work today and I'm hungry"

"Your hungry" Finn's voice laced in sarcasm. "It's called a diner dude, you should try one out."

"First of all I'm not your dude. Secondly, this is none of your business." He turned to Rachel "Get dressed and get in the car NOW."

"Don't you get it? I'm done with this and I'm done with you. You don't treat me as your equal but instead like your property. I'm not property Jesse."

"Believe me, I know, if you were I could get a refund."

"Fuck you Jesse" she turned on her heel and strolled back into the darkness of the room.

Jesse moved around, leaning past Finn to try and see her. Hissing her name a few times as he did so but she never turned back. Finn heard the soft squeak of the bed as she crawled back in it and he smiled. He knew it was immature and this was a bad situation but he felt like he had won something.

"This isn't over" Jesse brought Finn out of his thoughts.

Finn ran his large hand through his tussled brown hair, tugging at it slightly "I'm sure it's not."

"I will never give her a divorce, I will never leave her alone. Every where you go, I will be there, watching, waiting for you to dump her on her ass. Because that's what guys like you do, isn't it"

"You don't know shit about me, good night Jesse" Finn slammed the door in his face and leaned against it for a minute before crossing the room back to the warmth of his bed and his woman.

* * *

><p>Rachel stared up at the miles of red brick above her in a bit of awe, she was used to cities and apartment buildings but this was different. It was an old converted firehouse, with 5 stories of sprawling brick and mortar. She tugged her jacket tighter as she just looked up towards the blue sky for a bit longer.<p>

"You live here?" she turned to Finn who was leaning against his truck behind her.

The air had turned significantly colder over the past week and she could see his breath in little puffs as he exhaled.

"Sure do, Puck and I bought it a couple years ago, it was in bad shape."

He was so nonchalant sometimes it threw Rachel off. To just own property like this at their age, it was sort of unheard of. I mean sure, the suburbs were full of people their age with their perfect homes but this was rustic, historical, right smack dab in the middle of all the action of downtown Dayton. This wasn't some pre-fab ranch on a 80x160 lot, this was a building with character and history. Stuff like this thrilled Rachel, the idea of who and what had occurred here over the years intrigued her. She turned fully Finn with a smile as he continued to lean against the truck. He was so calm, just patiently waiting for her to be ready to head inside despite the chilly temperatures.

After their early morning encounter with Jesse a week ago Rachel had been determined to get out of Lima. She knew that her parents would be furious and the last thing she needed was to run into them so she didn't want to go to Columbus either. Finn finished up some work and packed it up for the winter, leaving him free to return home to Dayton, with Rachel in tow. After a couple mid afternoon packing sessions she was able to get enough of her stuff from Jesse's home, as she now called it. Rachel was in the wind now, she was ready to move on from this whole Jesse St. James debacle.

"The fuck you doing out here Hud? Freezing your nuts off?" Finn heard a voice behind him turning to see Puck getting out of cab.

"Are you always so eloquent?" Rachel asked as Puck came into her line of sight.

"I don't know what the fuck that means" Puck scoffed walking past them but stopping in the doorway.

"Of course you don't" she rubbed her hands against her wool coat.

"Berry" he said evenly. "It's good to see you!"

He had been calling her that since she told him what her maiden name was. She never understood calling people by their last names but it seemed to be Puck's thing so she just let him roll with it.

"Yeah it's a pleasure" she said sarcastically and Finn couldn't help but smile.

Rachel watched his retreating form and she felt the nerves again, they were what had kept her outside staring at the building for the last 20 minutes. It kind of shocked her, Rachel Berry didn't get nervous. She felt Finns warm body make contact with hers from behind and she glanced back at him with a smile.

"Come on baby, let's get you home."

The first floor of the building had been converted into a small, warm lobby. There were a row of mailboxes along one wall and a mixture of rustic furniture scattered through out. Through a door to the left of the entrance was a large dining room, which was where they were currently camped out. The room had been the original mess hall in the fire station and had a small kitchen attached to it. Finn had explained to her that every Sunday they tried to do a family dinner, the other tenants of the building were what Puck kindly referred to as their "Band of Misfits". Finn preferred to call them his "family", they were sitting around a long oak table, food scattered before them. Rachel felt that uncomfortable nervous feeling deep in the pit of her stomach. She had been in Dayton for a few days but hadn't really done any socializing, truth be told, she and Finn had spent much of the last 48 hours in his bed.

Finn leaned down close to her ear and nudged his head to his left. It was loud in the room as everyone talked comfortably.

"The Latina is Santana Lopez. She's a bit much to handle but a real sweetheart below it all. Santana was exiled from her family after becoming openly gay a couple years ago. She knew Puck from the past and came to him for help and she's been here ever since."

Rachel looked over at the beautiful brunette, it was weird to think that this beautiful girl was a lesbian. She was talking lightly with a disabled guy and a blond chick.

"Wheels is Artie, it's hard to find your place in this world with a physical disability. He does the books for the business and the blond is Brittney Peirce, she's not the brightest crayon in the box, after she flunked out of college her Dad cut her off. Artie found her stripping in a seedy club 4 years ago and brought her here."

Rachel watched them slowly committing their names to memory. Brittney and Artie seemed like an odd couple to her. It was like they were polar opposites and yet they looked at each other like they were the only two people in the world. Rachel smiled to herself because finally, _finally_, she knew what that felt like. She smiled at Finn when she realized he was looking down at her, watching her watch his friends. He pulled her a little closer to him as he continued to speak.

"You've met Sam and Puck, The big girl near Puckerman is Lauren. She doesn't fit in with the way women _should_ act in our society, she's an outcast by most standards, I think she's brilliant."

"They look cozy" Rachel said to him softly.

"Oh, they are, Lauren and Puck know each other very well" Finn laughed "Its one of those things that everyone knows but nobody talks about."

"But if they like each other why don't they just go for it?"

Finn sighed "Not everyone is ready or willing to make the big leap."

She turned to look at him, brown eyes inquisitive "Is that what you did with me?"

"Make the leap? Yea!" he smiled.

"Was it worth it?" he could barely hear her.

He lifted her chin up to look into her eyes "Every single minute."

She giggled and laid a soft kiss on his lips. Just the feeling of his gentle kiss made her whole body soar and her temperature rise.

"Gross, haven't you had enough of that already?" Puck said with a smirk as he threw a roll at Finn.

"Jealous?" Finn snapped back.

"Me? Jealous of you? Come on Hud, I'm Noah Fucking Puckerman. Women wet their panties at the thought of me."

"Ew" Santana said coming up behind Puck and slapping him on the head.

He whipped around and grabbed the Latina by the waist pulling her down into his lap. She squealed and began to punch Puck in the arm while yelling various curse words in his direction.

"You wished you had this" Puck said his breath labored.

"Please, the only thing that would made that even remotely appealing would be a juicy little muffin down below."

"Oh I got something juicy for you Lopez" Puck said as she managed to wiggle away from him.

"Lauren get your man" Santana said in a huff as Lauren looked up from the coffee she had been sipping.

"He's not my man" Lauren said evenly.

"Like hell he's not. If I have to hear you scream "Oh God Puck" one more damn time I will personally poke my eardrums out."

Puck smirked in Laurens direction as the color drained from her face.

"Fuck you Puckerman" Lauren said standing to leave the room.

"You love me baby" he yelled after her.

She stopped in the doorway and smirked at him "Correction, I love your penis. The rest of you, I just deal with."

Santana burst out into a high pitched laughter as Sam rolled his eyes and looked a bit grossed out.

Rachel looked over to Finn and he smiled down at her "This is pretty much every night around here."

Rachel snuggled as close to him as possible and smiled to herself, this she could get used to!

* * *

><p>Jesse felt the table move as the chair across from him slid out. He took a moment before he looked up into the beady eyes of Jacob Ben Israel. The other man had a paper tucked under his arm, his suit was a bad fit and his hair was hideous. Jesse glanced around to make sure nobody was looking in their direction, he wasn't real comfortable with this meeting to begin with. Jacob didn't speak though, he just sipped from the coffee mug the waitress had sat down across from him.<p>

"Well?" Jesse finally pressed.

"She's in Dayton" he said evenly sliding a small picture from his pocket.

Jesse picked it up and stared at the image for a while. They were in front of what appeared to be a firehouse. Rachel smiling up at the building as Finn had his arm securely around her waist, looking down at her. It made Jesse want to punch something, or someone and he briefly looked across the table at Jacob. He quickly dismissed the feeling because he needed Jacob, at least for now, to do his dirty work.

"Anything else?"

"She's living with Hudson" Jacob spoke his name with distain.

"No shit, dumb whit" Jesse snapped rubbing his face, this was going to be a long process.


	9. Chapter 9

Schools out so that mean you guys finally have an update. The song that Rachel sings is part of the inspiration for this story and was written and sung by Malvina Reynolds. The song was actually written in 1962 but I took some creative liberties with it. If you haven't heard it, you should!

As always Glee does not belong to me. Nor does the music in this chapter!

* * *

><p>If Rachel knew one thing for certain it was that she could defiantly get used to this. She was sprawled across Finns naked frame, his arm draped around her bare waist as the moonlight cast a soft glow across the room. His breath was rising and falling in a comfortable pattern as his fingers played lazily with her hair. She shifted, placing her arm under her chin, splaying a flat hand across his chest and looking up at him with a smile. He moved his eyes to look at her and smiled back. She loved these nights, when they would just be together with nowhere to be and nothing to do. This life was so different than her life with Jesse had been. There was never time to just enjoy each other, there was always something to be done around the house. Finn had a very different view of house work, it was something they shared equally and honestly Finn didn't care if the house was a little messy. Everything about her life with Jesse had been a chore but nothing about this life felt that way. Rachel stretched her legs out as they tangled with Finns and moved closer to him as his arm tightened around her waist. Rachel had found that she had been spending a lot more time naked and it was somewhat liberating. Her mother would call her a fast woman, one of "those" girls but Rachel really didn't care what she thought anymore.<p>

"A penny for your thoughts?" he asked, his voice still low and sexy.

"Do you know how happy you make me?"

"If it's even half of how happy I am, it would still be immeasurable."

"I love you Finn Hudson, I just want you to know that"

"I know baby" he said with a smile. "I love you too."

"Even if I'm stuck to Jesse and we can't be married.?"

"I don't care about marriage Rachel. I just want to be with you! If this is how we spend the rest of our lives, then so be it. I don't need a title or a piece of paper to justify my feelings for you. At the end of the day you're here with me, you're my girl and I couldn't ask for more than just that."

"You always know what to say to a girl"

Finn laughed "I have to disagree with that!"

"Can I ask you something?"

"Anything" his fingers tracing a soft pattern across her arm.

"What happened when you were in the military" she said gently running a manicured finger over his tattoo.

He shifted uncomfortably under her, he wasn't a big talker. He felt when he opened up to people it left him vulnerable. But looking up into those big brown honest eyes he knew that she wouldn't judge him or the things he had done.

"In 1947 when the National Security Act was enacted they separated Army Pilots into their own division of the Armed Forces. Puck and I had only been in a service a short time and never seen any real action yet but it was an exciting time. The Air Force was born and Puck and I were there to witness the whole thing. It was an amazing feeling, being apart of a new division of service men, elite. We were pilots and damn good ones, it was a pride thing. I had these visions of flying in and saving the day in my green army plane." He shook his head "Even though the second World War was over there was still a strong US military presence in Europe, they said it was to help with rebuilding but that wasn't actually the case. We were there to make sure the repressed stayed repressed, that any perceived threat to American power was put out. I did things I'm not proud of but I thought I was doing what was right for our nation. The more missions we did though, the more I realized that what I was doing was wrong. I joined the military to fight for our freedoms, not to put fear in the lives of war ravished citizens. The US wanted to make sure that the Nazi's stayed down and they did everything they could to make sure that happened."

He cleared his throat, trying to push away the lump.

"I have nothing but respect for our military personnel, they are what has kept this country the great nation that it is. But sometimes we are told to do things that the public never knows of, it was that stuff, that politics, that I didn't like. I wanted out but you don't just walk away from the US Military, you have to be released. When I expressed my feelings to Puck he thought I was nuts, he loved being a pilot. But at the end of the day he was my brother and would follow me if I chose to go. Going AWOL was not a choice, it was a disgrace to our families and our nation, we had to find a way to get discharged."

There was a look of pain and fear in his eyes as she glanced into them. She could tell this was not something he wanted to rehash and the part of her that loved him beat out the part of her that was blatantly curious about his missions. She felt his chest rise against her as he took a deep cleansing breath getting ready to continue speaking but she brought a finger to his lips.

"You don't have to talk about it" she didn't take her eyes from his.

"I don't mind"

"Your eyes tell a different story" she brought her lips to his for a quick kiss.

"I trust you" his voice was almost childlike.

"And that's enough for me. You got out, we can leave it at that!"

She rolled to her side, interlacing her fingers with his and sliding them around slowly. Watching their hands as the moonlight streamed over them. She rested her head back against his chest and listened to the smooth rhythm of his breathing her eyes growing heavy.

"Promise me we will do great things, we will make up for all the wrongs we've done" Finn said softly after a lengthy silence.

Rachel's eyes fluttered back open and she shifted her gaze to him.

"Promise me we'll make a difference Rach, on the world"

"I think you already have Finn Hudson. You saved me from a life I never wanted."

* * *

><p>"I'm bored" Santana said loudly as they sat around the table at their weekly family meal a month later "You know what need to do, we need to head over to Columbus and go to that new Cabaret Club. I heard they even allow people to get up and sing. I want to sing, it's been ages"<p>

It hadn't taken Rachel long to feel like she was apart of this crazy family but things like impromptu trips to clubs still shocked her. These people were so special, they were warm and welcoming, nothing like the fake women she had called her friends in the suburbs. She didn't find herself thinking of them much, those people out there, in their perfect homes with their perfect lawns. She finally was seeing the other side of life and she loved it.

"Please don't Santana, it will get the dogs barking" Puck said as he crammed green beans in his mouth.

"Gross, Puck, there are still ladies present" Artie said a look of disgust gracing his features.

"I don't see any ladies here" Puck smirked "Ladies…"

"Please not another rant about housewives, if you want one so badly, go get one" Santana snapped at him.

"Oh like Hud" Puck laughed bean flying from his lips.

"Shut up Puckerman" Finn snapped "And chew your damn food."

"Let's go to Sullivan's" Santana whined "I heard it's the best club in Columbus."

Rachel looked over her shoulder at Finn who was pushing his vegetables around his plate like a young child. The man could fight for their country but he couldn't eat some vegetables.

"You know your actually supposed to put them in your mouth" she whispered and he glanced up at her.

"Not you too, look I'm not a veggie guy" he groaned putting his fork down.

"Enough vegetable talk, let's go to Sullivan's" Santana's voice was loud and assertive.

"It does sound fun Finn" Rachel said with a smile.

"Okay" he said patting her arm "We can go if you want"

"Oh it will be a blast" She squealed grabbing Santana's arm and hurrying towards the exit.

Finn looked up to see Sam, Puck and Artie glaring at him as if he had somehow made this decision for them.

"What?"

"You couldn't have just ate your damn veggies" Puck said stalking off after the girls.

* * *

><p>The drive to Columbus had taken longer than expected in the heavy holiday traffic. It was less than two weeks before Christmas and the city was bustling with activity. Rachel had never been to a place like this club before and as they walked down the crowded sidewalk towards the neon glow of the sign she felt excitement swell inside her. Inside the club, it was dark, smoky and wall to wall red velvet. The tiny stage was shoved in the corner and a bar stood opposite it. There was minimal seating but the place was packed. On stage a young woman was crooning some song that was completely out of her key. Rachel winced at the sound.<p>

"That is completely horrid" Rachel stage whispered to anyone who would listen.

"What is?" Sam responded from right behind her.

"That singing, it's completely off key"

"You sing St. James?" Santana's lips were just inches from her ear.

Rachel wasn't even sure where she came from but her suddenly proximity made her feel slightly uncomfortable. While Rachel knew her father's were gay, she had not been around any other lesbians and sometimes she wasn't sure if Santana was being kind or trying to seduce her.

"A little" she said not making eye contact with the Latina.

They made their way across the room, thick air around them and grabbed a small table near the stage. It wasn't a great place to sit if you wanted to see the show but tonight the cabaret was on hold and the amateurs were taking the showgirls places.

"What does a little mean?" Santana pushed forward.

"I used to sing here and there when I was coming up. My mother and Jesse felt it was unbecoming of a woman to put herself on display. I always had all these dreams of being in motion pictures and stuff but my mother said I was meant to be a housewife."

Finn put a comforting arm around her and shot Santana a look to stop the line of questioning.

"A housewife, that was her aspiration for you?"

"Well, yes!" Rachel said and it sounded funny even coming from her own mouth.

"Santana" Finn said evenly

"Calm down Finn, I was just asking the girl"

She huffed a little and put her purse on the table before smoothing her thin black dress. It was tight in all the right places and rested just at her knees. It was a striking choice for a striking woman and Rachel felt a big homily next to her.

"Be ready to be blown away" Santana practically cooed and she walked towards the stage.

She grabbed the mic from the girl on stage who started to protest when Santana held up a hand to stop her.

"Sweetheart, I just did you a favor" she turned to the band her ponytail bobbing "Boys 'Teardops from my Eyes'"

Santana steadied herself in front of the microphone and took it in her hand with strong confidence.

_Every time it rains, I think of you_

_And that's the time I feel so blue_

_When the rain starts to falling, my love comes tumbling down_

_And it's raining teardrops from my eyes_

_Well, if you see clouds here in my eyes_

_It's just because you said good-bye_

_Although the sun is shining, there's no summer skies_

_Still it's raining teardrops from my eyes_

"My god, she's exquisite" Rachel hissed to Finn who smiled down at her.

"Your modest"

"How do you mean Mr. Hudson?" she asked seriously.

"I've heard you sing in the shower" he nuzzled her ear and said lowly.

"She's better than Ruth Brown" Rachel insisted.

"Most people are better than Ruth Brown" Sam snorted beside her as he downed his glass of whisky.

"She is brilliant don't get me wrong, but I think you are as well" Finn said as her hair tickled his nose.

"That was shower singing Finn"

"Like I said, your modest"

"Shower singing huh" Puck said with a smirk "I have to hear that sometime"

Rachel blushed and Finn let out a gruff sigh, Puck was the was the way he was but sometimes Finn wanted to just punch him in the face.

"I don't know which I would enjoy more, you hopefully silky singing voice or your soft, wet body" Puck sighed "Am I right?"

Finn left Puck hanging and instead finished his drink and slamming it down on the wooden table.

"Would you knock it off" Finn shot at him.

"What?"

"You know what. She's my girl!"

"Possessive? Like her husband?"

"Fuck You Puckerman" he stood and got in his face.

Sam tried to get in-between them and put out the fire before it grew uncontrollable.

"Ease up Hudson. It's all light-hearted"

"I like this girl bro. She's not one of your fluzies. She is a beautiful, respectable lady and doesn't deserve to be harassed by you"

"Yeah I know that bro" Puck said almost sullenly as Santana finished her set and room burst into applause and whistles.

Rachel felt a surge inside her as the men argued beside her. She wanted to feel that appraise, that surge of emotion in her direction. She didn't even know what she was doing, her feet moved of their own accord and Rachel approached the stage where Santana smiled and handed her the mic. Rachel wiped her sweaty hands on her flared blue dress and took the mic hesitantly from Santana.

"Show us what you got St. James" she smiled heading back to the table.

Rachel held the mic nervously in both hands and took a deep breath. She looked towards the band and shook her head and they put their instruments at rest. She cleared her throat before speaking into the crowd.

"This is something I wrote when I was trapped in a suburban prison of my own making. I dedicate this to the man who helped me escape."

Finn smiled from ear to ear and waited in anticipation for her words. He knew she toyed around with poetry but not song writing but then again poetry was music of it's own right.

_Little boxes on the hillside,_

_Little boxes made of ticky tacky,_

_Little boxes on the hillside,_

_Little boxes all the same._

"What is she talking about?" Artie asked but was quickly shushed by the table.

"Houses" Britney whispered "The boxes are houses. In suburbia

"_There's a green one and a pink one _

_And a blue one and a yellow one_

_,And they're all made out of ticky tacky_

_And they all look just the same._

_And the people in the houses_

_All went to the university,_

_Where they were put in boxes_

_And they came out all the same,_

Her voice was enchanting him, it was strong and confident as she wove her words into a melody all their own. She looked like a vision up on that stage, her hair poofed up as she clenched her eyes shut. She was singing to everyone and only herself at the same time. Everyone was quiet in the room, watching in awe as something miraculous happened around them.

_And there's doctors and lawyers,_

_And business executives,_

_And they're all made out of ticky tacky_

_And they all look just the same._

_And they all play on the golf course_

_And drink their martinis dry,_

_And they all have pretty children_

_And the children go to school_

_And the children go to summer camp_

_And then to the university,_

_Where they are put in boxes_

_And they come out all the same._

She was telling a story, not only of her own life, but that of every woman stuck in an unhappy suburban hell. She was the voice of change for a generation of women who wanted to be more than housewives, who wanted to be their own people and not property of some man.

_And the boys go into business_

_And marry and raise a family_

_In boxes made of ticky tacky_

_ And they all look just the same _

_And there's a green one and a pink one_

_And a blue one and a yellow one_

_,And they're all made out of ticky tacky_

_And they all look just the same._

There was a deafening silence in the room for a split second before the applause roared out in her direction. A few people wolf whistled and whooped it up and she took a dainty bow before returning the mic to it's stand. In her corner her friends were standing, cheering excitedly for her. It was exhilarating, nothing she had ever experienced before.

She wanted more, she wanted to take the feeling and run away with it, to put it in a little box and carry it around. And in that split second, in that smoky bar in Columbus, Ohio Rachel Barbra Berry St. James knew exactly what she wanted to do with her life!


	10. Chapter 10

Rachel and Finn were walking arm in arm down the snow covered block, their shoes making tracks in the freshly fallen snow. The skirt of her blue dress swirled around her calves as they found a steady pace. They had decided to stay in Columbus for the weekend while the rest of the gang headed back to Dayton, agreeing to pick them up Sunday afternoon. Columbus wasn't much, not in perspective of the rest of the world but it was the biggest city they had and it was bustling with the bright excitement of the holiday season. The lights seemed to have an even more breathtaking glow with the addition of the fresh snowfall and Rachel almost felt like she was in a paradise of some sorts. Right here, in their tiny corner of the world, life was exactly what she wanted it to be. Her future was no longer written for her but instead a blank page waiting for her to fill it. She glanced over at the man beside her, tall, broad and handsome beyond explanation, and she felt a surge of pride to be on his arm. Not only because he was gorgeous on the outside but because he was on the inside as well.

"You were amazing Rach, really stunning" he smiled down at her as they stopped for the traffic to pass through an intersection.

"Stop Mr. Hudson, your making me blush" she said modestly as they stepped out onto the street.

She snuggled closer to him and they walked a few more blocks towards the glowing neon light advertising their hotel. His arm was wrapped tightly around her waist as hers folded in front of her, her purse hanging off her wrist, her hands buried in a white muff. As they neared the door, an older couple brushed past them, the woman with her head down. Finn felt a strange feeling of sorrow for her, that women had been raised to act that way for centuries. The whole seen but not heard thing was archaic to him, women were beautiful creatures who deserved to be treated as such. Rachel however had completely stilled and unlinking her arm from his had spun around.

"Babe?" he questioned but Rachel was already walking back in the direction they had just come her shoes clacking against cement with blind determination.

She walked quickly in her high heels, turning her brisk walk to a soft jog and approached the couple with vigor as Finn sprinted to close the distance between himself and Rachel. She reached out and grabbed the woman's arm, pulling on it slightly.

"Mother?"

"I'm sorry, you must have me mistaken for someone else" the woman's words were harsh and her husband's eyes filled with sorrow as he turned his head away.

"What?" Rachel gasped.

"You must be mistaken" the voice was harsh and yet so familiar as she brushed past Rachel.

This was the woman who had raised Rachel, while they had never been warm and fuzzy like most mother and daughter combinations, she was still her mother. She had been the one to wipe away her tears, cuddle her when she was sick and encourage her artistic side. To bad she had never realized that she had done all that with an ulterior motive.

"Mom, it's me" Rachel pleaded and Finn felt anger flash inside him at the way his beautiful Rachel was being treated.

"I don't have a daughter. I did once, she's gone now" the woman responded not looking at Rachel as she spoke.

Rachel tightened her grip on her mother's fur covered arm and tugged harder, making the older woman look at her. Rachel shared a shocking resemblance to her mother, slight in stature with thick brown hair but the eyes, the eyes were different. Where Rachel's brown eyes were warm and sparkling her mother's were cold and almost dead in appearance. Beside her stood Rachel's father; a tall, thin man with salt and pepper hair and a distinctive Jewish appearance.

"Daddy" she practically squeaked out.

The man looked down to the ground shaking his head slowly "I'm sorry Chelly."

"How can you do this?"

At those words it was like something inside of her mother sparked and she spun around towards Rachel, yanking her arm away from her grasp in the process. She squared her feet off and finally took in her daughter's appearance, no longer holding her head but instead standing with an air of dominance. Her perfectly manicured hands rested on her expensively clad hips.

"I have had just about enough of you little girl! Have you forgotten all of your manners. People with class do not scream in the streets. You are a disgrace to your father, myself and our family name. I did not raise you to act like a common tramp, running around opening your legs to whatever street scum you find attractive. Life is not about random attractions but instead about opportunities. I have molded you your entire life to be a good wife, to marry a good, respectable man and raise a family. I have worked to make sure that your father's family name is upheld despite the fact that I was never able to give him a son myself. That his indiscretions are not what people remember the Berry's for" Her gazed shifted to Rachel's father briefly "And this is how you repay me?" She gestured to Finn.

"How dare you accuse me of being some street whore" Rachel yelled getting the attention of nearby passerby's. "You know nothing about him, do not bring him into this."

Finn took two protective steps forward but held his distance as well. He knew his Rachel and he knew that this was a battle she had to fight on her own, his presence just made things worse. She wasn't that scared, reserved young girl that he had met. She had come into her own, learned who she was and how to stand up for that person she wanted to be.

"Keep your voice down, I thought I raised you better than this" her mother hissed. "I'm sorry Rachel but I have done everything I could to make sure you become a respectable and valued member of society. Jessie is a good match for you, I don't understand why you refuse to see that. The St. James' are important people and could have given you the life most women only dream of having."

"I don't want to be a housewife, isn't my happiness more important than some stupid reputation."

"Not in our world" Rachel's mother turned her back to Rachel then, grabbing Rachel's father and leading him off in the direction they had previously been walking.

"I guess you finally got your son" Rachel shouted after her loudly through her tears of anger, throwing the white muff in their direction.

"I guess so" she said not bothering to look at her daughter.

Just as they neared the end of the block her father looked over his shoulder one last time and then just like that they were gone. Finn quickly crossed the short distance between them and reached out to catch her as the whole reality of the situation hit her. As tears began stream down her cheeks she began to yell incoherently, dropping her purse to the ground and hitting his chest with her tiny little fists.

"Rach, come on" he pleaded pulling her towards the hotel gently.

"How can she do this Finn, disown me as if I'm not her flesh and blood. My mother Finn…" she was getting hysterical and people were beginning to stare.

"Rachey" his voice was low as he stilled and held her against him.

She clung to him for a short while until her breath returned to normal. When she finally pulled away from his embraced and looked up at him the deep sadness in her gaze nearly tore him apart. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, carrying her purse in his other hand. She said nothing but little sniffles broke the silence as they entered the warmth of the hotel lobby. When they finally made it into the privacy of the room he helped Rachel slowly undress, numbly redressing in her night clothes. He crawled into the bed in only his underwear, pulling her small frame against his. She curled into him, her frame tiny against his large body. He ran his hand absently through her thick brown hair, listening to her breathing unsure of what to say. He wanted to make everything better for her but he knew that words were not going to quell her pain, only time would do that. Finally she looked up at him with a small sad smile.

"Thanks for being here Finn."

"Rachel, I am completely and totally head over heels in love with you. There is no place but here I want to be."

"Finn" she said after a pause.

"Yeah baby."

"I need your help" she said gently.

"With" his hand was moving gently across her shoulders now.

"I want a divorce. I'm willing to fight tooth and nail to get one. I want to be done with Jessie St. James and everything about that life. I want to be Mrs. Finn Hudson."

"Rachel, you don't have to do that. You are enough for me."

"I have to, I'm tired of being tied to these people, to this life. If my own mother doesn't want to accept me anymore why should I be forced to stay linked to this man."

"I will do everything I can to help you baby" he said kissing her head.

"Finn"

"Yeah Rach" his eyes were getting heavy, she intoxicated him.

"Make love to me"

And that she didn't have to ask twice as he rolled on top of her, pushing her panties down in one swift movement. She squealed in delight this time as his lips found her neck and he entered her in one swift movement.

* * *

><p>Rachel and Finn sat nervously in front of the large wooden table in the law office. After Rachel had the run in with her mother in Columbus it was like a new side of her had been born. She was on a crusade and to her amazement Santana was her biggest advocate. With Finn by her side it was as if she could do anything and the only thing she wanted to do was get a divorce. They had been all over Dayton and Columbus looking for a law firm to represent her case. Every time Rachel felt like giving up, Santana would give her the words of encouragement she needed to go on. After months of research and almost giving up twice they had finally found the small law office of Schuster and Sylvester. Sue Sylvester was a beast and the perfect person for the job as an advocate of woman's rights. She was shuffling papers in front of her as they silently waited for her to speak. Rachel's hands were so sweaty it was almost like she couldn't wipe them dry. It was so hot in the room that it felt like she couldn't even breath. It was only early April but had been unseasonably warm for days. As they sat there Rachel had to hold back the bile that was trying to come up. The weather had been messing with her, she had felt like crap for days as the weather bounced between seasonable and hot. Finally Sue slid her glasses down her nose and shifted her eyes up to Rachel, her face firm and unforgiving. Rachel looked at Finn who squeezed her hand under the table and gave her a reassuring smile.<p>

"Mrs. St. James" Sue finally spoke "I only have one thing to say to you."

Rachel nodded expecting to be turned away yet again. It seemed that nobody wanted to take on a divorce case with a woman filing. Most of the stuffy old men they had gone to see had actually told her to be a good wife and go back to her husband, or some form of that. She had been told over and over that there was nothing she could do, that she stood no grounds to divorce her husband and that she was the one in the wrong. Rachel had known that this would not be easy but it was what she wanted, she wanted to be able to spend her life with Finn in everyway possible.

"Yeah" Rachel finally spoke.

"I would love to represent you. To be honest, your husband sounds like a complete douchbag and I hate douche bags. We all make mistakes in life, you obviously made one in marrying this man but for some reason our culture says that only men are allowed to correct those mistakes. No more, I will be happy to squash your husband like a bug because when he assaulted you, he crossed a legal line that I'm more than willing to prove."

Rachel flew up out of her chair in excitement, reaching across the table and grabbing the older woman's hand, shaking it anxiously before promptly passing out.


	11. Chapter 11

Rachel's eyes shifted around the small exam room from her seat on the end of the exam table. She hated being on this side of the medical field, it never seemed so sterile when she was the one caring for the patient. She had been picking up critical shifts in the hospitals emergency department for about a month and she thoroughly enjoyed it. It made her feel like she was doing something important with her life and allowed her to contribute to their household, even though Finn insisted she didn't. Her roommates were positive that was how she had landed in this current medical predicament though. Santana swore she must have picked something up while working but Rachel always followed all sterility procedures. She ran a sweaty hand over the ill fitting gown she was currently wearing, her socks the only barrier between her skin and the cool air inside the room. She should be chilly with the constant blowing of the air conditioning but she felt like she was on fire, she had for days and yet no significant fever. Just this consistent feeling of always being hot. She didn't think she would ever get used to the idea of AC, that a machine can cool the air this sufficiently amazed her. She shifted uncomfortably on the hard metal surface and glanced at the clock, how long did it take to get an answer around here. Rachel was certainly not a good patient as she shifted uncomfortably on the table. It had taken Finn a solid week of convincing to get her to the doctors office, after her passing out incident, and in her final agreement she told him she wanted to go alone. She was sure it was nothing serious but she would rather placate him than have him continue to follow her around like a puppy. She loved having him around and that he cared so much but he hadn't been to work in a week and the guys were starting to get annoyed. This was the last place she wanted to be right now though. She felt so helpless sitting here waiting for the doctor, she should be out there helping Sue build her case. She knew she couldn't actually do anything but what if she missed an important telephone call while she was wasting time here over a little touch of the flu. Jesse had been served his papers 2 days ago to a shockingly quiet response.

Finally the door creaked open pulling her from her thoughts. Dr. Sullivan came into the room slowly with a light tap on the door, a smile on his gentle features. Seamus Sullivan was a kind, gentle man with an excellent track record, a thick Irish accent and amazing bedside manor.

"Mrs. St. James it appears like you are in fairly good health over-all but we have sent some urine to the lab to be tested. Your blood pressure is excellent, you are of proper weight for a woman of your stature. Can you tell me your symptoms?"

"Nothing to serious, a bit of nausea here and there. I'm always hot and so thirsty but no marked fever, just hovering about bit higher than normal. I think the fatigue is the worst though, sometimes I'm so tired I feel like I could sleep for days. I did pass out last week in a business meeting and that concerned my…." she didn't know what to call him in this situation "um… husband."

"Is this the first fainting incident since you have began to have the symptoms?"

"Yes and only."

"You were not checked out immediately after the fainting?"

"No I insisted I was fine, I had just gotten some big news and it was so hot in the room I was sure that was the issue but Finn insisted so here I am."

"And your menstrual cycle?"

"Oh" she laughed uncomfortably "I'm not pregnant if that's what your asking. I'm unable to conceive. I mean so far I have been unable to."

"And how long have you been having unprotected intercourse?"

"Oh I was married in the Fall of '48 so nearly 5 years with no luck" she smiled sweetly wishing to be talking about anything but this right now.

"Oh my, well we will run the tests anyway just to be sure. I'm going to put you on a mild antibiotic for now. Should take care of any infection you might be harboring, if you have a touch of a viral infection it just has to run it's course. I will telephone when I get your results back if there is anything I feel need addressing."

"Thanks Doctor" she said as he handed her the medication and her discharge information.

He gave her a comforting squeeze to her shoulder before leaving her alone in the sterile box once again.

* * *

><p>Rachel kicked the door behind her as she juggled the multiple bags in her arms. She had taken her time coming home from the doctors, feeling much better just having a piece of mind that nothing serious was wrong with her. She stopped at the natural food market and got fresh meat and veggies for dinner. She was going to make Finn the best dinner of his life, he had been so worried lately and he deserved to just relax. She was in the kitchen washing the vegetables for the salad when she heard the living room door bang shut. She smiled, wiping her hands on her apron and practically skipped to the living room.<p>

"Your home early love" she said in a sing song voice, stopping dead in her tracks as her eyes met his.

Jesse smirked at her, throwing his coat over the back of the couch and removing his hat.

"Expecting someone else dear?" he sneered.

"What are you doing here?" her voice was low and cautious.

Jesse laughed loudly as his eyes scanned the room taking in their modest accommodations. Rachel and Finn had designed the apartment with a much more modern feel than you would find in any suburban home. There was lots of exposed brick and beams to set the tone for the space that they saw as their canvas. It had a very old Hollywood feel with splashes of modern décor. She loved the fresh, young feel of their space and hated having Jesse spoil their atmosphere.

"Can he not provide for you properly?" Jesse was mocking her.

She put her hands on her hips and shot him a look, she was not justifying him with a response.

He reached out a finger and knocked a wooden framed picture of her and Finn from the mantle to the floor. It made a loud banging sound as it hit the white tile of the hearth below as it landed face down. It was one of the few momentos she had of her life with Finn thus far. Artie had gotten a camera back in December and had become quite good at taking and developing photos. Rachel seethed with anger, how dare he come into their home and touch their stuff.

"Get out of our home, you are not welcome here" she hissed "Please just leave me alone."

"Not this time sweetheart" he was across the room in mere seconds shoving a packet of papers in her face roughly.

"You know what this is?" he voice was increasing in volume and she tried to back away, he firmly held onto her bicep to hold her still. His fingers bruising the soft flesh of her arm as she tried to pull away from him again.

"Well" he pushed on.

She nodded, she new exactly what they were, they were his divorce papers.

"I asked you a fucking question Rachel"

"Yes" her voice cracked.

She was sweating, feeling nauseous again and sweating, man was it hot in here. She felt like that night in the kitchen all those months ago. She needed to get him out of here.

"Who do you think you are?"

"Jesse" she started to speak slowly, getting control back of the situation.

"How dare you serve me, in front of all my co-workers, with papers asking for a divorce. You… asking for a divorce! You are a woman, a cheating whore at best, you don't get to chose how our marriage does or doesn't end. You are my wife and you will remain my wife because I will never admit defeat to him. You made your choice baby, you have to live with that choice."

"I don't love you anymore Jesse. Please if you ever loved me, just let me go."

"Let you…. LET YOU GO? You are _my_ fucking wife and that will never change. You are mine because I made sure you would be. I was the first man to ever kiss those pretty little lips, the first man to ever go down your shirt or up your skirt, the first man to invade your body with his own, I own you, all of you. You will take the St. James name to your grave. Forever branded by me and my family. You will never be his because you will always be mine. When he touches you, I hope you feel me, when he whispers to you, I hope you hear my voice because I will never get out of your head. Every step you take, every move I will be right there to remind you that you are Mrs. Rachel Barbra St. James. You are nothing but what you were taught to be, a common housewife, my common housewife."

The fire inside Rachel flared then and she used every ounce of strength to push him backwards. The move was unexpected and he stumbled ungracefully back. Tripping over the coffee table as she started yelling at him.

"Why would you want to stay attached to a woman who clearly is dishonoring you. Isn't that an embarrassment?"

Jesse just laughed and shook his head as he stood, brushing himself off "you don't get it do you darling. It's the principal of the god-damn thing."

Jesse moved in her direction and she started to back up, this time would he wasn't going to win. She weaved to the left trying to put distance between them but Jesse reached out and grabbed her, pulling her closer to him, his muscles flexing. She could smell him all over, her head pounding as the bile tried to fight it's way up her throat. She wiggled in his grasp as he started laughing.

"When he tires of you, when you little fling is over, whose home do you think your going to crawl back to sweetheart? Mine. Your going to spend your entire life making this up to me in every way possible. Your going to come back, give me my children and take care of us until you are old and grey. You will never be more than what I allow you to be."

"FUCK YOU" she spat in his face.

Out of nowhere she heard a squeal behind them and Santana came flying across the room.

"Get your hands off her asshole" Santana shrieked jumping up and latching onto Jesse's back.

He was shocked at the sudden appearance of the young Latina and that allowed Rachel to slip away from him.

"What the hell?" Jesse said trying to shake the young woman off him "Rachel get your friend."

Santana was pulling at his blond hair as she kicked her feet at his legs and yelled in Spanish. Rachel tried to clear her mind, to figure out a plan of action because this was getting out of control. How come every argument with him ended up as a physical altercation. Annoyed Jesse reached behind him and flipped Santana off his back, she hit the floor hard sliding towards Rachel who scrambled to make sure she was okay. Jesse walked over and grabbed Rachel by the wrist

"Come on, were going home. I've had enough of this game. You made your point Rachel."

He started towards the door, dragging Rachel behind him as she fought against him. Santana screaming behind them.

"What in the hell is going on in here?" Puck's voice came out from somewhere behind them.

"Oh look" Jesse smirked "It's the fucking Hardy Boys. Look peasant, this is not your concern so maybe you should go get a real hair cut and join society like the rest of the real men."

"Let her go Jesse" Puck said lowly.

"You don't get to tell me what to do Puckerman. She is my wife, so I'm taking her home."

"She doesn't want to go with you? Don't you understand that? She's a human being with feelings you jerk" Santana was yelling again but had joined Puck in the doorway.

"Jesse you have two seconds"

"Or what? Your going to punch me again? Like that day on our lawn when you losers came in and ruined my life? When you put ideas in my wife's head before you put your filthy dicks in her. Turned her into a common tramp? Now I will have to spend my life dealing with what people say about us and retraining her."

With that Puck just let go of Finn's arm, who was behind him, and let him fly into the room. Puck shrugged as if he had been trying to actually hold Finn back. Finn was across the room in 2 second, towering over Jesse. Jesse instinctively let go of her arm and she scurried to Finn's side. They said no words, just glaring at each other for what felt like days but was just a matter of seconds.

"I suggest you leave and if I find you anywhere near her again. I will make sure it's never a mistake you make again."

"This isn't over" Jesse hissed "It will never be over."

Jesse started to saunter to the door when he paused and looked back at them Rachel clinging to Finn as tears streamed down her face.

"I guess I had you at your best baby, your looking a little chubby."

With that Puck grabbed him hard and showed him the door as Rachel fell tighter into Finn's embrace.

* * *

><p>Rachel's eyes fluttered open to the sound of the phone ringing early the next morning. She looked around for Finn, who had been strangely quiet since the altercation the night before but he was no where to be found. She shuffled to the living room and picked up the phone, listening to the person on the other end and softly thanking them when they were done. She turned back to the bedroom where she had heard Finn come out of the bathroom and walked in slowly. He had her suitcase on the foot of her bed and was quickly putting her clothing in hit.<p>

"What are you doing?"

"Packing"

"I see that Finn, but why?"

"You can't stay here, you deserve more than this."

"I like this" she emphasized sweeping her arm around the loft.

He just kept packing, not saying anything to her or even looking in her direction.

"Well where are we going?" she asked finally wringing her fingers together, this was unexpected.

"Not we, you Rachel."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm sending you to NY, you will stay with my brother while you get on your feet. It's time for you to follow your own dreams and not continue to live another man's."

"I can't go to NY Finn" she gasped.

"Of course you can, you have always dreamed of NY" he said shutting the suitcase.

"No Finn, you don't get to just send me away" she was getting angry.

"Rachel, this is what's best for you."

"How do you get to say what's right for me?" She was yelling.

"You have such big dreams and talent Rach. You deserve more than this, more than Ohio and more than me."

"I don't want more than you. I'm happy for the first time in my life Finn, I feel like I finally fit someplace, with someone. What is your problem?"

"Rachel, Jesse will never leave us alone…"

"So this is really about him…" she shook her head "Why am I not surprised?"

"Partially. I can't have him following you around forever."

"I don't care" she interrupted.

"everything we do, every place we go. He will be there, making your life hell."

"FINN I DON'T CARE"

"Rachel" he sighed sitting down and rubbing his face with his rough palm.

She sat next to him and took one of his hands, looking at him with watery brown eyes.

"You don't want me anymore, do you?"

"What?" he turned towards her "God no, I want you so much Rachel but that doesn't mean it's what's right for you. You went from being Jesse's wife to my girlfriend, you are not following you dreams Rach. You deserve more. You deserve lights and applause."

"It's that my choice?"

"Yes. But your blinded by your feelings for me."

"No, I'm completely clear Finn. I know what I want, I want you. Look if you think NY will be better for US, then lets go together."

"I have my business here Rach"

"They don't need architects in NY?"

"Rachel, stop! This isn't about me"

"But it is Finn. It's about us, you and me!"

She made him look at her then and took a deep breath, running her fingers over the back of his hand.

"Finn, I love you and want to be with you. You are my dreams, you've opened my eyes and shown me what true love is. You have shown me that women have a place in this world outside the house. That we can be equals in society! You've woken up something in me that has been asleep for far to long so I will go to NY"

His eyes shifted to her

"With you."

"But?" he started.

"With you or not at all."

Rachel stood then and started to walk towards the door, she was starving and ready for breakfast.

"Oh Finn" she said from the doorway and he looked up from his feet.

"Yeah?"

"I'm pregnant"


	12. Chapter 12

November 1953

New York City was everything Rachel had ever dreamed it would be. As a girl she had dreamed of getting to live in a place like this, so alive with it's own artistic heartbeat. It was the perfect haven for a dreamer such as herself. A concrete jungle filled with promise and opportunity and she was enjoying every minute of being here, well almost every minute, she still missed Finn like crazy. It was like a part of her was missing and no matter how much she refused to dwell on it, the small life growing inside her was a constant reminder. She had no regrets about the last year, not a one, but she wished it were different. This what was best for them right now, what was best for their baby and though it killed her to be away from him she put her faith in knowing that he was missing her just as much. He called all the time and sent letter as well, long perfectly crafted descriptions of his love. She kept every single one, tucked away in an old shoe box and when she missed him the most she would pull them out and read them. Her brain saying the words in his soft, manly voice. Things had been so good at first, so happy. After she had told him the news of their impending parenthood, he had picked her up and spun her around for a solid 5 minutes. She had never seen him so happy in her life and he showed her just how happy he was by making love to her the entire night. It was like they were connected in a whole new way, the way he held her gaze as he slowly slid in and out of her in a soft, pleasurable rhythm, his biceps flexed as he slowly rolled his hips against hers. It was the most intimate moment of her life thus far and something that she would fondly remember years from now. Though she would never tell her baby how exactly they celebrated the news of his or her upcoming arrival it would be a moment forever frozen in the memories of her mind. It was the happiest day of her young life!

Their bliss was short-lived however as Jesse became more and more of a nuisance. First it was random sightings of him around Dayton, bizarre letters in the post reminding her that he would never be gone from her life and a series of hang-up phone calls that she could only attribute to him. Finn and her chose to take the high road, ignoring his ever increasing presence in their lives, not responding to his cameo appearances and changing their phone number. Finn was becoming increasingly paranoid about her safely and would not allow her to be home alone, implementing Santana to keep and eye on her. While she and the Latina had become good friends, Santana was still not over the moon at the idea of having to more or less baby-sit Rachel. The more they ignored Jesse the more annoying and persistent he became though. Meanwhile Sue worked tirelessly to put their case against Jesse together. In early April, as the last flakes of snow made their lazy journey to the frozen ground they had their first court hearing. It was an overcast, frigid day. Jesse brought his expensive Columbus lawyer and ironically enough her mother. The court hearing was a disaster, Jesse and his lawyer totally annihilated what was left of Rachel's reputation and the judge was horribly biased as he let Jesse's lawyer go on and on but cut Sue off every chance he got. Sue Sylvester would not be taken out that easily though bringing up evidence of a friendship between the judge and Rachel's father forcing the Judge to recuse himself and putting the trial at the end of the hearing list once again. Once Sue knew that Jesse was planning on playing dirty she went into full on "destroy Jesse St. James" mode promising better results at a future trial, a trial she requested could not take place in Columbus but instead should be moved to Dayton where both Jesse and Rachel's parents had less influence.

Jesse's inability to quickly resolve this issue made him even more unbearable. It was like she couldn't make a single move in her life without him being her shadow. She went to the market and he was there, they went out with friends and he was there. Some days he would just sit on the bench across the street from their home and watch the coming and going of their friends. It was creeping everyone out and continued calls to the police did nothing to solve the problem. Sam and Puck became increasingly despondent getting into numerous confrontations with Jesse that tended to end with the police finally showing up and telling Sam or Puck to leave "Mr. St. James alone." Finn shockingly continued his previous stance on just ignoring Jesse, even though he wanted to rip the guys face off. He knew that fighting with him would solve nothing for him and Rachel and only give Jesse more fuel for his fire. He did admit to cheering Puck and Sam on in their obvious personal battle against Jesse. Things were getting weird and Rachel was beginning to feel that maybe Finn was right about her getting out of the area but the idea of going through this pregnancy without him in a strange city with strange people scared the shit out of her.

Then as the warm winds of summer began to blow in and it became obvious that Rachel was with child as the prominent curve of her belly began to show under her thin summery fashion. That's when Jesse lost his mind, crashing into the exam room one day in early July as Rachel had her 5 month baby appointment. He began screaming about how he was her husband which made him the legal father of her unborn child. He got in her face, told her that he would be taking full custody of the baby upon it's birth and stormed out. The next morning she left for New York. Scared, pregnant and completely alone. She had begged Finn to come with her, for them to be able to start their new lives together in a new place but he insisted that for now, she had to go on her own. And he was right, him staying in Dayton allowed him to work with Sue Sylvester as well as keeping Jesse off her tail. She had not seen hide or hair of him since she left for New York and from what she heard in her conversations with Santana and Puck he was completely crazed as to where she went. He was constantly trying to bully her location out of people but they would just ignore him. It was also allowing him to wrap up some things with the business which he was officially handing over to Sam after the first of the year. Rachel knew this was a huge step for him, to give control of his business that he had so carefully crafted to another man. He would still hold majority share in the business side of the organization of course, but for now this chapter in his life was over. Kurt was able to hook him up with a gentleman by the name of William Schuester who was looking to add a fresh young architect to his staff.

"Rachel" the smooth voice broke into her thoughts and she looked up into the blue eyes of Kurt Hummell.

Finn had been right, her and Kurt had hit it off famously and his friendship had been one of the few things that helped her through the last 4 months. Kurt was working in a large fashion house in Downtown Manhattan that allowed him to live a very comfortable life. He lived on the 7th floor of a downtown high rise with beautiful exposed beams and duct work. His boyfriend Blaine, was a typical Ad man with slicked back hair and witty responses, yet at the base of it all he was a kind and caring individual. She really liked watching him and Kurt together, it was like a good soap opera sometimes.

"Yeah?" She asked slowly running a hand over her belly.

"Are you okay?" he asked carefully sitting next to her on the bench that looked out over the city.

She smiled and looked over at him, nodding as she leaned against his thin frame. Kurt was smaller than Finn, thinner and shorter but strong in his own right. His arms were solid, muscles rippling under porcelain skin.

"I miss him" she finally spoke "and I'm scared to do this alone."

"Your not alone Chel, believe that" he said rubbing his long fingers over her slender ones.

"I know and I'm so grateful for you and Blaine but…" she trailed off

"I'm not him" Kurt finished for her.

She nodded and he just wrapped an arm around her letting her settle into him because he understood. They sat like that for moment longer before Kurt moved beside her.

"Come on" he said standing and offering her a hand.

"Where?"

"We need to get out of this apartment. Blaine is working all night on some case thing and there is no reason for us to sit here staring out the window missing the men in our lives. Were in New York, it's a beautiful night, were young…"

Rachel smiled up at him, he tried so hard to make thing good for her. Part of it, she was sure, was because he actually felt a connection with her but most of it could be attributed to his strong bond with his Step-Brother. She was pretty sure he would take a bullet for her, simply to prevent anymore sadness in Finn's life. Not long after she had come to stay with Kurt, they stayed up one night talking about their lives. Kurt told her how it was a struggle for him to find a way to fit into Finn's life when their parents first married during their Sophomore year of high school. That he was the nerdy, artistic kid while Finn was the typical jock with his jock friends and pretty girlfriend. Kurt joked about how he was pretty sure he never saw Finn out of his letterman jacket the entire 4 years of high school. He told her about his desire to move from the small upstate NY town they grew up in and find a place for him in the big city but Finn had other plans, something about making his father proud. The hardest part for Rachel to hear was what Finn had been like when he returned from overseas. Withdrawn, sad and very very testy Kurt says that for a long time he thought Finn had lost the most important part of himself, the spark that made him different from other guys with his background. He told Rachel that when he heard Finn speak of her on the phone, that he could hear the spark return. Kurt's raw explanation of who Finn was made her long for him even more.

"Come on Chel" Kurt said his eyes sparkling and she knew that like his brother, she couldn't resist him.

* * *

><p>Rachel had decided on this little Italian restaurant in Little Italy. They made their pasta by hand and their sauce had it's own unique kick to it. Kurt told her that he had heard they put sugar in sauce but that was just word on the street. The old couple that owned the restaurant had moved here from Italy in their early 20's which was sometime around the turn of the century. Rachel loved the feeling of home she got within the walls of the quaint restaurant. After a healthy helping of ravioli's and salad had filled her to the brim she leaned comfortably back against the soft leather of the booth. She felt like she could fall into a food coma right now, full and comfortable, she was glad that Kurt had talked her into this. She glance around at the fellow patrons, realizing that to the outside world she and Kurt appeared like any young couple out on a date. It was then she realized that, while Kurt was comfortable in his sexuality, in their society it was much easier to just blend in. She realized that he needed this night as much as she had.<p>

"You look happy" she said as she rubbed her swollen belly again.

"The smile give me away?" he laughed.

"Ear to ear" she reached across and took his hand.

They were silent for a moment while he seemed to go to a place far away, if only for a moment, become coming back to reality.

"I love Blaine" he started softly.

"I know you do" she began.

"I love Blaine" he started again "and I'm not ashamed of who I am. I'm a gay man in a world that is just beginning to understand what that means. I've been called a fruit, fag, homo and those are the nice things and Sometimes by the people closest in my life. They think it's a stage I'm going through or a chemical imbalance in my brain. I have had to deal with physical and emotional abuse from my choice for a long time but this is what makes me happy. Why hide who I am, get married to a woman I don't and won't ever be able to really love. Have a couple of children that remind me how trapped I am despite how much I love them and die an old man never having followed a single real dream in my life?"

"I'm so sorry Kurt" she took his hand. "I think you are so strong to stand up for who you are. It took a long time for me to do that. But I'm still so sorry for how you are treated."

"I'm not. But sometimes, this is nice" he gestured with his head to their small party.

She smiled as he continued

"To these people, we are what we appear. A young couple, most likely newlyweds, enjoying a final meal before they welcome the baby to the world. Right now I don't have to fend off offensive comments or deal with glaring looks. I'm just like every other male in this room right now, and that's a nice vacation from the norm. I will fight to the ends of the earth for equality for people like me and I will proudly walk on Blaine's arm for as long as he has me. But tonight, I don't have to worry about any of that."

"I do have to say Mr. Hummell, you know how to show a girl a good time."

* * *

><p>Rachel hadn't had a night that made her feel this good in a long time. She was on cloud 9 as they strolled arm and arm back to their apartment. The sights and sounds of the city soaking into her whole being. She stilled though as they got off the elevator and noticed the figure sitting on the floor, her thin frame leaning against the door to their apartment. They didn't get many visitors at their place, none unannounced and she approached slowly, Kurt standing behind her with a hand on her back. The young woman looked up and quickly scrambled to her feet. She was holding a thick envelope in her hands and dressed plainly in a simple skirt and turtleneck.<p>

"Mrs. St. James?" she said and Rachel froze.

She had been going by Rachel Berry since she had come to NY and it was amazingly freeing to shed Jesse's oppressive name. She had actually even done some minor work on the stage under the name Rachel Berry before she got to big to comfortably do it.

"May I help you?"

"You are a hard woman to find Mrs. St. James. I tried to find to you in Dayton but was told that you were out of town on holiday."

"How did you find her?" Kurt asked, his tone low.

"It took quite a while for me to track you down, I knew that Finn Hudson had a brother in NY, it was just a guess you might be here but I decided to chance it."

"Who are you and what do you want with Rachel?" Kurt asked putting some space between Rachel and the other woman.

"I'm here to help, not to harm. My name is Monica Ellis, well technically it's Monica St. James."

"Are you a relative of Jesse?" Rachel asked racking her brain to remember his sisters names.

"In a sense. I'm his wife."

They were sitting inside the apartment hours later as Monica told her story. She had met Jesse back in 1946 when they were only 16. She was not from the high society standing that Jesse was but they had so much fun together. She had never met a man who made her so happy and complete feeling. They had a whirlwind romance and, despite his parents disapproval, were married in a private ceremony only months later. Things were good in the beginning despite his parents obvious disapproval but things started to come between them. Monica had though Jesse was the love of her life but she had been wrong, he started to become distant and shady. When they were married for only 7 months Jesse told her that he had made a mistake and would like the marriage annulled.

"Spring of 47" she said and watched as the realization hit Rachel.

"We met in the Spring of 47" she said softly.

"I know."

"How come you never tried to stop us?"

"I was hurt and humiliated and I hated you. Then I found out later that your meeting was no chance encounter and suddenly everything made sense and I started to pity you. I found some documentation in Jesse's study, between Jesse's mother and yours, that read more like a contract than anything else. Jesse was under a lot of pressure to do right by his family and apparently they were falling under some financial hardship. That was until your mother made a little arrangement with the St. James family."

"They paid Jesse to marry me" it was a statement more than a question.

"It appears so" she handed Rachel the paper she had been carrying around with her for years.

Both Rachel and Kurt took time to read the document as they sat in silence. When they were finished Monica continued. Rachel felt like a complete idiot, Jesse had never loved her, he had conned her into thinking he had though. Everything in her past was a lie, a lie orchestrated by her own mother nonetheless. No wonder her mother had freaked when she left Jesse, her leaving voided the contract leaving her responsible to uphold their end even though her side was ruined. By Rachel marrying Jesse it put her family name in a high social standing but she had tarnished that beyond belief.

"I'm an idiot" she said softly.

"No, Jesse is good. You were young and inexperienced. How could you have known?"

"So what happened with you?"

"I gave Jesse his annulment like he asked. I was so hurt that he would give up true love for money but I realized that for his family, reputation was everything. If he chose to be with you for those reasons, who was I to stop him."

"So why are you here now?"

"I heard about your plight, that you left Jesse for some construction worker."

"He's more than that"

"I'm sure he is and that's why I'm here. Because I know what it feels like to have that true love and have someone stand in the way of it working out. Plus I would love to stick it to Jesse's snobby bitch of a mother. I'm here to help you with your case against him. Once you divorce, the money flow from your parents stops and his parents will have to face the fact that they lost everything."

"How can you help though, it's not illegal for an arraigned marriage, especially because I was a minor when it was decided."

"No but it is illegal to have two wives"

"Excuse me?"

"Funny thing is, Jesse didn't file the paperwork right for our annulment in his hurry to get it taken care of."

"So your still married?"

"We are still married" she said with a smirk that spoke volumes "Which means you never legally were."

"I'm not married?"

"Never were" she reiterated with a smile.


	13. Chapter 13 Update Status

Surprise look who's back from oblivion! I wanted to thank everyone for all their loyalty to both my stories and myself as an author. I know it's been over two years but I still receive reviews and that means so much. I wanted everyone to know that I am slowly working on an update and plan to finish the story hopefully much quicker than 2 years. Shortly after my last update I found out I was expecting and a month after that I returned to college and though my intentions were to finish they story and continue to write, life had different plans. Juggling a new baby, full time work and full time college placed even farther from my writing goals. Then Cory Monteith died and I had to take a break from Glee all together. Then the other day I was transferring files onto my new laptop and there this story was, patiently waiting for me to finish!

My goal is to write a much and often as life allows me, I've missed the outlet so much! It will be hard to update quickly with a toddler and full time job but if you bare with me I will do my best!

Thanks from Miss48


	14. Chapter 14

Sue Sylvester put the phone receiver down as a sly smile snaked across her rigid features. Sue didn't smile often so it felt almost foreign as the corners of her lips turned up. Sue was a creature of habit and right now her favorite past time was screwing these asshole conformists. Sue had never had good luck in the romantic department and it appeared that every failed relationship just sealed her fate as an outcast and that just made her anger simmer. She was the only feminist lawyer in a world where women put up and shut up and it had not been easy to get where she was. She picked up the silver letter opener on her desk and slid it between her slender fingers as though it were a knife blade. Sue was used to dealing with rats but Jesse St James was more than a rat, he was the rat king. Every move she made he had beaten her to it. His pricey lawyers bested her time and again which only served to fuel her fire. She wanted to grab his pretty little neck and wring it but that would do little to help her clients face. He was smug and condescending, the type of man that Sue typically loved to crushed in court. This time however it wasn't about the job, it was a personal vendetta against the entire St. James family. She wanted to bury all of them and now she could! She could not wait to see Jesse's pretty face crack under the pressure of her hand as she brought down the mallet. She would smile as he went down in flames and that was all the satisfaction Sue Sylvester needed in her life. She even considered doing the job Pro Bono for the satisfaction alone but that idea quickly exited the way it came. Sue Sylvester didn't make her living on favors!

They owed her for all her tireless work and for being annoying as all hell. She was tired of dealing with that dope Hudson, it's like every turn she made there the mouth breather was sucking air directly out of her lungs. Sure he was somewhat easy on the eyes, if you like that tall and goofy look in a man, but he was sort of an idiot in her opinion. The guy wasn't slow or anything but he certainly didn't provide the type of intellectual conversation Sue craved. She preferred to work her cases alone and yet he was always there offering her unsolicited advice. She got it, they were in love, they needed to be together, their loins burned for one another and all that sappy shit. Whoop de shit. That's what Sue Sylvester said about love. There were far more important things in life than love, like power, money and control, those were the goals she strived for! Sue put the letter opener down and looked over her notes once again! Before hitting her intercom button, barking into the small machine before her secretary had time to answer

"Becky get in here now! We have a rat to catch."

The smell of food awoke Rachel from a fitful sleep. She groggily sat up, awkwardly sliding her body back in the bed. She felt as huge as one of the balloons that floated through the air during the Macy's parade. It was the day after Thanksgiving and she was still exhausted from the prior days activities. She rubbed her belly absentmindedly as she stretched her legs out in front of her rolling her ankles to loosen them up. Pregnancy had been hard on her petite frame but she had carried it as gracefully as possible. Smiling when strangers rubbed her belly and laughing lightly as they joked about her size. Most people probably assumed that Kurt was the father of her baby which made her size even more astonishing as he was tall but thinly built. It seemed strange to her that the rest of the world saw her and envisioned her life with Kurt, to them Finn didn't exist and she hated that. She often found herself missing Finn the most in those dark hours before dawn as she lie awake feeling their child move within her. Sleep had been a ghost lately and the nights were lonely. She rubbed her eyes and yawned as the smell of food crossed her nose once again. She used her arms to push herself to her feet going in search of the wonderful smelling food.

She barely made it to the door of the guest room when she felt a gush of warm fluid run down her leg. She looked towards the floor in confusion, her bladder had not felt full enough for her to go to the bathroom on herself. Kurt was going to be furious that she peed on the rug. She went to take a step and the trickle stopped her in her tracks. She ran a finger along her thigh when the realization hit her.

"Kurt" she shouted holding onto the doorframe unsure of her next move. She didn't know what to do now, but she needed to do something other than make puddles on Kurt's carpet.

She couldn't have this baby yet, she had 3 weeks to go, she wasn't ready. She hasn't had her final childbirth class yet and Finn wasn't due in town for another week. She clamped her legs together in a fruitless attempt to stop the trickle of fluid down her leg.

"Kurt" she shouted louder as a contraction ripped through her abdomen almost bringing her to her knees. No amount of childbirth training could have prepared her for the sheer pain that came with the contraction and suddenly she was terrified to do this. Rachel had always considered herself a strong woman but right now she wanted to cry out for her mother. But just as quickly as the contraction had torn through her abdomen it left and she once again felt normal.

"Kurt" she was shouting now, frantically.

She wanted to get moving before it happened again, make a decision before the pain paralyzed her. This time Kurt had heard her as he calmly moseyed in her direction.

"What in the name of sweet baby Jesus are you hollering about" he said looking down at his carpet following her downcast eyes "oh god."

"I'm in labor" she stuttered quietly "my water broke."

"My oriental" Kurt said crouching down to blot the carpet with the dish towel in his shoulder.

"Kurt" she hissed.

He continued frantically blotting.

"Kurt" she nudged him with her foot "I'm in labor."

He stopped what he was doing and looked at her. Sheer fear on his soft features. This wasn't his job, it was his brothers, he wasn't prepared for this. Rachel was staring at him, looking for answers, gripping the door frame white knuckled. Then suddenly she let out a feral scream and doubled over gripping her stomach and that's when Kurt kicked into high gear!

"Come on" he pulled her towards her room again "let's get you dressed."

"Fucking Shit" Rachel screamed gripping the metal frame of the bed rail.

"Rachel just a few more pushes" her doctor coaxed her "take a deep breath and go with the next contraction."

She looked at him with such fierce hatred that if looks could kill his whole family would be dead. She didn't blame him for her current predicament. No that was all Finns fault! Finn with his reassuring brown eyes and crooked smile, was a monster in disguise. He made her feel so good, so free and now here she was trying to push his giant baby from her body.

She thought of him, out there some where, waiting. She had begged to see him when he finally arrived 10 hours into her labor but they refused. Men were not allowed in the delivery suite and that's the way it was. No amount of begging would work this was something women did on their own. At this point though she wanted to kill him, after all the hours that had passed he was not feeling particularly amorous with him. All she wanted it over, she was tired and in pain. 17 hours, she had in labor for 17 long hours but it felt like a lifetime. Rachel had been very adamant about wanting to dictate her own labor process, searching endlessly for a doctor who would follow her wishes and not his own. This was a male dominated field and typically the doctor made decisions regarding the birthing process but Rachel didn't want the anesthesia. She had read a lot and a growing women's movement showed that anesthesia births were not as safe for the baby as they previously said. Finally she found a progressive doctor who allowed her to follow a natural birth plan but now 17 hours in with no medication she cursed herself for being so damn progressive.

"I need drugs" she screamed.

"To late Rachel but you can do this! Just a few more pushes" her Doctors voice remained level and calming.

"I can't" she cried as her body began to contract again.

"Push" the staff was yelling as Rachel bore down with all her might. Gasping for air as the contraction passed followed right by another.

"Push, push push" the doctor chanted.

Rachel was dying, she was sure she dying. This was the end. This had to be the end because it felt like the end. She started to panic, to loose focus as tears brimmed her eyes. It was chaos, she didn't know what was going on anymore. She started to hyperventilate. Suddenly her doctors face was in front of hers. Focused, compassionate, and handsome in a traditional way.

"Rachel"

"yeah?"

"I need you to breath and on the next contraction push. Push like you've never pushed before, through your bottom, hard."

She nodded as she began to refocus on the task at hand. She felt the contraction building, her doctors hand resting on her stomach. The urge to push was strong and she gripped the bed harder as tears formed in her eyes and a scream erupted from her lips. She bore down as the pain burned through her whole body and then suddenly it was gone. The pain, the burning and she looked down to see the doctor. His arms were covered in blood as he help up a beautiful baby the sound of the crying piercing through the room.

"Congrats Mrs. St. James. It's a baby boy."

Rachel's eyes fluttered open to see Finn standing by the window. His broad shoulders back lite by the setting sun. In his arms, wrapped in a thick swath of blankets their son slept. His hair was a shock of russet brown like his fathers, the eye lashes long and curled. The baby had been good sized 8lbs 11oz and 22in long and healthy in all ways. Rachel had never felt such amazing joy in her life and didn't want this moment to end. She shifted in bed and Finn turned towards her.

"Shhh" he said softly.

She smiled and patted the bed and he say gingerly. She ran a finger over the babies soft cheek and he sighed and nuzzled further into his fathers arms. Finn leaned forward and placed a kiss against her forehead.

"You are beautiful" he smiled "and so is our son."

"He looks just like you."

"He has your eyes" Finn began "and your mouth."

"You think?"

"Certainly" he laughed "a perfect combination of us, made by our love. He's perfect my love."

Before Rachel could respond the door opened and a middle aged nurse came in the room holding paperwork.

"Mr and Mrs St James, I have some paperwork for you to fill out for little..."

"Thomas" Rachel said looking at the baby as Finn cringed at being called Mr. St James.

Rachel knew it was hard for him to stomach but the less people who knew the situation the better it was for them. Rachel knew the laws, she had spoken to Sue in length about them. Legally Thomas was viewed as Jesse's child since they were still legally married! Which meant any claims to paternity by Jesse would be found in his favor. If Jesse was to claim to be the father of the baby he could then fight for legal custody as in the eyes of the court he was the child's father and Rachel would just appear to be even more of a harlot of she fought it. Sue had told them that there was blood test that can be done on all the involved parties but it would only prove successful if Jesse had a different blood type from either Finn or Rachel.

"Thomas St James" the nurse smiled "what a strong handsome name. Is there a middle name?"

"No" Rachel gasped out.

The nurse pulled her pen back suddenly "okay no middle name."

"No... Yes to a middle name" Rachel took a deep breath and batted her eyelashes.

"What I mean is his name is Thomas Garrett Berry"

"Your maiden name?" The nurse seemed perplexed.

"Yes. Finn and I feel that since I am the end of the Berry line, it's an honor to my father to let it continue through our son."

"I see" she said skeptically.

"There will be plenty more babies to carry on the St James name as well."

"You progressive women and all you ideas" the nurse shook her head writing.

As she finished she handed the paper to Rachel who scanned it.

Child: Thomas Garrett Berry

DOB: November 27, 1953 11:18pm

Mother (Maiden): Rachel Barbara Berry

Father: Finn Christopher St. James

Rachel looked at the paper, her hand shaking slightly, looking to Finn his feet shifting slightly as he leaned over to look at the paper. A grimace on his beautiful features.

"Absolutely not" Finn half whispered.

Rachel smiled at the nurse uncomfortably. Who had her hand out for the paperwork.

"Hudson" Rachel started "Thomas' fathers last name is Hudson. My husband and I, Mr. St James, we are separated."

The nurse gave Rachel and Finn a disapproving glance before taking the paper with a snatch and leaving with a huff. This was a mess!


End file.
